A Lithuanian rower has been rescued off the Queensland coast after he was caught in a tropical cyclone’s 130km/h winds and monster waves.
Aurimas Mockus ran into trouble about 740km east of Mackay while attempting a 12,000km Pacific Ocean crossing from San Diego to Brisbane in his solo rowing boat.
HMAS Choules, a 16,000-tonne Royal Australian Navy landing ship, rescued Mockus on Monday morning.
He was on his way back to Australian shores after a two-day wait in the turbulent ocean waters due to Tropical Cyclone Alfred, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said.
Mockus activated his emergency beacon late on Friday as Tropical Cyclone Alfred sent strong winds and heavy seas his way.
A search and rescue mission began with a Cairns-based Challenger jet sent to find the rower failing to spot Mockus on Saturday but it did make contact with the tired rower.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority communicated with the adventurer via the rescue aircraft through an interpreter on Sunday.
The agency said Mockus had not reported any major injuries.
A statement from Mockus’s shore team on Sunday night confirmed Mockus was not injured.
“Acccording to the traveler, he has not suffered any serious injuries, is shoveling water from the boat, and is asking for help as soon as possible.”
But the team said the situation was “stable and under control”. “Direct communication with the rescuers is maintained at all times,” they said.
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Mockus set off on the journey in October and was days away from reaching his final destination after rowing about 70 nautical miles a day. He was bracing for the “maximum power” of the cyclone on Thursday, saying he just needed to survive the next two days.
Weather conditions later eased but the Coral Sea was still within the category two cyclone’s influence on Sunday, with winds up to 100km/h and five to seven-metre seas, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority reported.
Mockus was attempting to join a short list of ocean rowers to make the Pacific crossing solo without stopping.
Brit Peter Bird was the first in 1983, followed by countryman John Beeden in 2015 and Australian Michelle Lee in 2023.
Fellow Australian Tom Robinson, who was attempting to become the youngest to accomplish the feat albeit with a break in the Cook Islands, spent 265 days at sea before he was rescued off Vanuatu in 2023.
The 24-year-old Queenslander’s rowboat capsized, leaving him clinging naked to the hull for about 14 hours before he was rescued by a cruise ship that made a 200km detour.
