Hirofumi Matsumoto, an employee of the Hyatt Regency Hotel on the Mariana Island of Saipan is still missing after he and a friend got caught in a strong current that reportedly pulled them outside the reef where they were surfing last Sunday (September 6, 2009). The friend was able to paddle back in, however Matsumoto did not make it, according to a story in the Saipan Tribune.
On Tuesday Boyet Centeno found Matsumoto’s rental surfboard floating near shore.
Centeno told police he was fishing in the area when he saw the surfboard wash up on the beach. After several minutes, when nobody claimed the surfboard, he took it home. . . Centeno later read in the newspapers about the missing surfer so he informed his boss, Taylor, about the surfboard he found.
While search crews are still working it has now become a “search and recovery” mission, according to the story.
[Link: Saipan Tribune]
