Arran Strong, GB's highest-ranked male surfer, presumed dead after vanishing off Portugal
Arran Strong, 28, the highest-ranked British male surfer at the last two ISA World Surf Games, is presumed dead after vanishing during a training paddle off the Portuguese coast. GB Surfing confirmed the news Tuesday, four days after Strong went missing while crossing from Monte Clerigo Beach to Carrapateira. The Autoridade Marítima Nacional halted its search Thursday.
Key takeaways
- Arran Strong, 28, Great Britain's highest-ranked male surfer at the 2024 and 2025 ISA World Surf Games, is presumed dead after vanishing during a training paddle off the Portuguese coast.
- Strong disappeared while paddling from Monte Clerigo Beach to Carrapateira, and his unmanned board was found drifting about 100 meters from his coach, Jose Maria Pyrrait.
- The Autoridade Marítima Nacional received the distress alert at 11:33 BST on Monday and suspended its search on Thursday with no recovery.
- GB Surfing confirmed his presumed death on Tuesday, four days after he went missing, calling it a devastating loss to the sport.
- Strong competed in the World Surf League for ten years and was coached by Pyrrait, who had worked with him since he was ten years old.
Arran Strong, 28, the highest-ranked British male surfer at the last two ISA World Surf Games, is presumed dead after vanishing during a training paddle off the Portuguese coast. GB Surfing confirmed the news Tuesday, four days after Strong went missing while crossing from Monte Clerigo Beach to Carrapateira. The Autoridade Marítima Nacional halted its search Thursday.
What happened off Arrifana
Strong was approximately a mile offshore with his longtime coach, Jose Maria Pyrrait, when the two paused to drink water and take pictures. After a few minutes, Pyrrait let Strong paddle ahead. Their routine was consistent: Pyrrait would move at pace, take a short lead, then stop and wait.
When Pyrrait stopped this time, he found Strong's board drifting about 100 meters away, unmanned. He dove repeatedly in the surrounding water but found nothing. Pyrrait described the area as "a really deep area" with very short visibility. He contacted his partner on shore; a local fisherman picked him up. The two then spent close to two and a half hours searching by boat using sonar.
The AMN said it received the distress alert at 11:33 BST on Monday.
The search and its end
Maritime authorities conducted a search after receiving the alert. After four days with no recovery, the AMN confirmed it had suspended operations Thursday.
Strong's career and the response from GB Surfing
Strong spent ten years competing in the World Surf League. He represented Great Britain at the 2024 and 2025 ISA World Surf Games, finishing as the nation's highest-placed male surfer at both events.
In a statement released Tuesday, GB Surfing called Strong "a fantastic teammate, respected competitor and a kind, generous presence whose passion for surfing left a lasting impression on everyone who had the privilege of knowing him." The governing body called his death "a devastating loss to our sport and the wider surfing community."
Pyrrait, who had worked with Strong since the surfer was ten years old, described the relationship as familial in an Instagram post. He wrote that Strong "always used to say he would die young" and that his only consolation was that Strong "passed away at sea, a place he loved so dearly."
The AMN's search closed Thursday with no recovery.
Filed by the newsroom of MarketPR on August 1, 2026. Source: foxnews.com. Indicative figures are not investment advice.