British Surfer Arran Strong Presumed Dead Off Coast of Portugal

Professional surfer Arran Strong has been presumed dead four days after disappearing off the coast of Portugal. The UK sports governing body confirmed the tragic news. Strong was 28 years old.

Strong was a mile off the coast with his coach, Jose Maria Pyrrait, when they paused for a drink and photos. Pyrrait let Strong go ahead of him, but then lost sight of him.

In short: we stopped off Arrifana to drink water and take some pictures. We were there for a few minutes talking, when we started again.

Pyrrait described on Instagram how he typically would let Strong go ahead since his pace was faster. He would stop and wait when he caught up. This time, he noticed Strong’s board drifting 100 meters away. Despite diving repeatedly, the area was deep with poor visibility.

Pyrrait alerted a partner on shore. A local fisherman then picked him up. They spent nearly 2.5 hours searching for Strong using a boat’s sonar.

The Autoridade Marítima Nacional (AMN) confirmed to BBC Sport that they were alerted to Strong’s difficulties at 11:33 BST on Monday.

The young man disappeared at sea while crossing from Monte Clerigo Beach to Carrapateira.

A local fishing boat rescued Pyrrait. The AMN halted its search on Thursday, with Strong still missing.

Arran was like a son to me; he had been training with me and spending weekends and holidays with me since he was ten years old.

Pyrrait shared his grief, recalling Strong’s close bond with him over many years. He expressed a sense of emptiness and weariness following the loss.

Strong was the highest-ranked British surfer, competing for Great Britain in several World Surfing Games. He also participated in the World Surf League for a decade.

GB Surfing released a statement mourning Strong’s death:

Arran proudly represented Great Britain at the 2024 and 2025 ISA World Surf Games. Beyond his performances in the water, Arran was a fantastic teammate, respected competitor and a kind, generous presence.

The statement noted the devastating impact of Strong’s passing on the sport and wider surfing community.