The heroic Australian surfer who saved a drowning couple said he had no choice but to dive into the rough water in Croatia to help them after their boat capsized.
Craig and Jackie O’Neill issued an appeal on Facebook to find the man who saved them so they could properly thank them.
The British couple had hired a boat with their friends and headed towards Paklinski Islands on September 21.
But on the return journey, they hit rough seas and their boat capsized – but fortunately, a man from a passing boat jumped into the water and rescued them.
Zen Joyce (pictured) said he had no choice but to jump into the rough sea and save the couple
Craig and Jackie O’Neill (above) issued an appeal on Facebook to find the man who saved them
Thanks to the wonders of the internet, they have now reconnected with that man – Zen Joyce – and spoken to him on the phone.
Mr Joyce, from Coledale, NSW, who is on a two-year trip around Europe with his partner, told 9Honey that he and his partner Katherine and a friend were taking a taxi boat from their cruise ship to the port when they noticed the capsized boat in the distance.
He said the boat’s skipper was reluctant to head into the rough water, but once he realised how dire the situation was, he took the boat as close as possible – around 100m from the O’Neills.
Mr Joyce said he saw the O’Neills clinging to their boat, which was sinking quickly, and asked if they could swim.
My Joyce (pictured) said when he saw the gravity of the situation, he had no choice but to jump into the choppy water
The British couple had hired a boat with their friends and headed towards Paklinski Islands on September 21. On the way back, the boat capsized
When they replied no, he knew what he had to do, he said.
‘I feel if you see someone who requires help and you can help them, you should!’ he told 9Honey.
‘It’s the right thing to do. I knew the waters were rough, but once I saw the gravity of the situation, I had to get in and help them before things got worse.’
He added: ‘I could see the boat was sinking quickly and there wasn’t a lot of time to act or it would be too late.’
But he added that the rescue was a team effort – with the guys on the taxi helping pull the couple board and others consoling them.
The heroic surfer, from NSW, is on a two-year trip around Europe with his partner Katherine
After speaking to the couple, Mr Joyce said they seemed like ‘lovely people’ and he was grateful that they’d made the effort to reconnect.
My Joyce’s partner added that his actions were ‘truly courageous and heroic.’
In his Facebook appeal, Mr O’Neill said that he and his partner had been in shock after their rescue and were unable to remember the name of the man who saved them.
‘We desperately need to find him,’ he wrote. ‘We have to thank him.’