Photo from the last moments Strong was seen alive. Photo: José Maria Pyrrait//Facebook
A 27-year-old pro surfer, Aaran Strong, went missing Monday morning, July 27, a mile off the coast of Portugal while accompanying a friend on a portion of a long-distance stand-up paddle journey. The search has not yet been called off, but Strong is believed to be deceased.
Strong, a British citizen born in Spain who lived in Ericeira, Portugal, had competed on the WSL Qualifying Series for 10 years and had represented Great Britain in the previous two editions of the ISA World Surfing Games.
Strong joined his friend, 60-year-old José Maria Pyrrait, who was paddling the length of Portugal from north to south, for a leg of the trip from Zambujeira to Monte Clerico. He suddenly disappeared from his board a mile off the coast of Arrifana in the south of Portugal.
According to Pyrrait’s Instagram post recounting the incident, the two had stopped to drink water and take photos. Then, Pyrrait let Strong paddle ahead because Pyrrait was a stronger paddler and he would soon catch up to him, get ahead, wait for Strong, and repeat the cycle. He said this was how they had been doing their journey since Strong joined.
However, as Pyrrait passed Strong, he stopped and looked back to find Strong’s board floating alone about 100 meters behind him. It’s unclear whether Strong had a leash, but Pyrrait is shown wearing one in his photos from the journey on social media.
“I paddled there as fast as I could and dove countless times looking for him, but we were in a very deep area, and visibility was very poor,” Pyrrait wrote.
Pyrrait says he immediately called in for emergency response to his support partner on land. Soon thereafter, a fisherman picked him up with the boards, and they spent two-and-a-half hours searching the area with the boat’s sonar equipment, but did not find Strong.
“He remains missing, unfortunately with virtually no chance of being alive,” Pyrrait wrote.
According to Strong’s Instagram bio, he had a “rare disease,” Alpha-1 Antitrypsin, a genetic condition that can lead to lung and liver damage.
Authorities searched for Strong on Monday, suspended the search overnight, and resumed on Tuesday. However, foggy conditions delayed the search as an Air Force helicopter and lifeboat couldn’t be deployed until conditions improved.
Instagram comments poured into Strong’s account after the news broke.
“Arran was like a son to me. He had been training with me and spending weekends and holidays with me since he was 10,” Pyrrait said. “Right now, I feel a profound pain, though there is the faint consolation that he passed away at sea — a place he loved so dearly. He was young, with a pure and good heart, yet he is gone.”
