Watch: Man rowing across Pacific rescued after being caught in cyclone
A Lithuanian rower attempting a solo trans-Pacific crossing has been rescued by the Australian navy after being caught in Tropical Cyclone Alfred, just days before he could complete a record-breaking journey.
Aurimas Mockus set off from San Diego, California, in October 2024, aiming to row 12,000km non-stop to Brisbane. He was covering an average of 70 nautical miles per day and had spent nearly five months at sea when he encountered severe weather conditions.
On Friday night (28 February 2025), Mockus activated an emergency distress signal after being battered by high winds and towering waves in the Coral Sea, about 740km east of Mackay, Queensland. At the time, he was around 90km west of the cyclone’s centre, which was generating winds of up to 100kmph and waves of five to seven metres.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) immediately launched a search and rescue operation, deploying a Challenger jet aircraft to locate the rower. At first, poor visibility and extreme weather hampered efforts, but the aircraft eventually made contact with Mockus on Saturday. The Royal Australian Navy dispatched HMAS Choules from Brisbane to assist in the rescue, reaching him early Monday morning.
“The ship is on its way back to Australian shores,” a spokesperson for AMSA said, confirming the rescue. Vice Admiral Justin Jones, chief of joint operations, added that Mockus was “safely onboard HMAS Choules undergoing a medical assessment.” His shore team also reported that he had not suffered serious injuries and had been “shovelling water from the boat and asking for help as soon as possible.”
Lithuania’s ambassador to Australia, Darius Degutis, expressed gratitude for the rescue efforts. “It is thanks to their efforts that he is safe today,” he told media in a statement.
Mockus had been documenting his journey on social media and had recently passed the Chesterfield Islands, a group of French coral islands 1,500km east of Australia. Just a day before calling for help, he posted about successfully navigating the reefs, writing: “The highlight is that I successfully sailed the reefs of Chesterfield Islands. And further as God allows… The most important thing is to hold back the next few days.”
His route from San Diego to Brisbane had not previously been completed by a solo rower, and he was on track to set a new record. He had entered the final third of his route in January, noting that he was approaching “large, expansive islands with dangerous reefs”.
Mockus is expected to arrive in Sydney aboard HMAS Choules, bringing an end to his ambitious voyage.
In 1983, Briton Peter Bird became the first person to achieve the feat, followed by John Beeden in 2015 and Australian Michelle Lee in 2023, Australian Associated Press reported.
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