Body of missing windsurfer found in Puck Bay near Chałupy after four-day search

Disappearance

A 35-year-old windsurfer from Bydgoszcz, identified by FAKT24 as Tom, disappeared on Tuesday, 11 August, after renting windsurfing equipment in Chałupy on the Hel Peninsula and setting out on the Puck Bay. Sources differ on the exact timeline: Super Express reports he rented the equipment around 12:30, while FAKT24 places the rental around 14:30. His board was later found on the beach in Chałupy, with Polsat News reporting the discovery around 14:30 and Super Express placing it sometime after 14:00. No trace of the surfer himself was found. RMF24 and Dziennik Bałtycki, citing TVP3 Gdańsk, described the man as about 40, while most other sources gave his age as 35.

A multi-service search operation was launched immediately, conducted from land, water, and air. The Maritime Search and Rescue Service (SAR), WOPR water rescue, police, the Border Guard, and a Navy helicopter from the Gdynia base all took part. SAR ended its first-day operations before 21:00 on Tuesday, after which the Puck county police continued the search independently, analyzing monitoring footage from the area, interviewing witnesses, and verifying all incoming information that could help locate the missing man.

Discovery

On Saturday, 15 August, at 10:13, the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre received a report of a body floating in the water near Chałupy, approximately 50 meters from shore. Two minutes later, at 10:15, a SAR operation was launched, dispatching rescuers from the Shore Rescue Station in Władysławowo and the rescue boat R-43. The R-43 crew confirmed finding the body at 10:54. It was secured and transported toward the shore, where it was handed to police at 11:01. A prosecutor was also notified and present on scene.

Identity confirmed

Initial media reports speculated that the body might be the missing surfer, but the Puck county police cautioned that confirmation was needed at that stage. Saturday evening, police confirmed the identity. Press officer asp. Agnieszka Selewska of the Puck County Police Command told the Polish Press Agency that the identity had been confirmed and that further proceedings were being conducted under the supervision of a prosecutor.

“The identity of the man whose body was recovered from the water has been confirmed. He is the person we were searching for. Further proceedings are being conducted under the supervision of the prosecutor.”

Search effort

The search spanned four full days, from Tuesday 11 August to Saturday 15 August. Multiple agencies were involved across land, water, and air. The SAR service, WOPR, police, and Border Guard all participated, with a Navy helicopter conducting aerial sweeps of the designated area from the Gdynia base. After SAR suspended operations on the first evening, the Puck county police continued the search independently, reviewing monitoring recordings and speaking with witnesses. The body was ultimately found close to where the surfer had last been seen, about 50 meters from the Chałupy shoreline.