The chilling final photograph of the man who attempted to become the first person to kayak the unpredictable Tasman Sea has resurfaced online.
Located in the South Pacific Ocean, the Tasman Sea is the body of water that separates Australia and New Zealand, and experienced sailors will tell you conditions can be one of the roughest in the world but they can also be smooth.
Andrew McAuley, an experienced kayaker, fancied his chances and set out on a month-long expedition back in February 2007 at the age of 39-years-old – hoping to paddle all the way from Tasmania to New Zealand.
Just four years previous, he became the first person to paddle a kayak across the notoriously dangerous Bass Strait, the water separating Australia from Tasmania, where six sailors died during a yacht race in 1998 after rough seas and strong winds commandeered their boats.
McAuley had already made history but he sought more glory as the 25-hour kayak across the 136-mile body of treacherous water only spurred him on to think bigger.
To conquer the Tasman Sea, the Australian would have to paddle 1,200 miles between the two islands – unless we’re getting technical and calling Australia a continent.
But it wasn’t his first crack at it, as two months prior to what would be his final expedition, McAuley took his kayak and paddle and attempted to cross back in December 2006.
After just a day he was forced to scrap it when he developed hypothermia from the unforgiving temperatures – but as we know, that didn’t put him off.
In his final attempt in 2007, he was just days away from completing the gruelling task. With the ending seemingly in sight, McAuley sent a distress call out to the New Zealand Coast Guard but rescuers could barely hear what he was saying other than ‘sinking’ and ‘help’.
A two-day search was launched to find him but all officials could recover was his kayak and other belongings he took on the trip – including a memory card from his camera.
Now, a haunting final photo has re-emerged on the social media platform Reddit which depicts an exhausted and cold-looking McAuley with sun cream smothered across his face with a huge wave towering behind him.
Authorities believe McAuley died by way of drowning after falling asleep in his kayak.
A memorial service was held for him the same month he disappeared, with his wife Vicki speaking at the service saying he will ‘do down in history’ and ‘will always be remembered’.
“I chose this lighthouse for you today not only because it looks over the Tasman but because it symbolizes what you’ve always been, and what you continue to be for me, my beacon of light,” she said at the memorial, per the Sydney Morning Herald.
“I also chose it for its historical significance, it is Australia’s first lighthouse and you, my very brave man, have just achieved an historical first, paddling a kayak across the Tasman.”
