British tourist who sparked massive search after skinny dip slammed for being an ‘idiot’

A British tourist has sparked outrage after his drunken, naked swim at Bondi led to an expensive search and rescue operation which only ended when the skinny-dipper was found wandering the streets wearing nothing but a smirk and laughing it off as a joke.

A British tourist has sparked outrage after his drunken, naked swim at Bondi led to an expensive search and rescue operation which only ended when the skinny-dipper was found wandering the streets wearing nothing but a smirk and laughing it off as a joke.

A team of police and ambulance officers, three lifesaving crews and an ambulance helicopter containing a critical care paramedic were summoned in the dead of Monday night — at a cost of at least $30,000 — to search for the man after friends reported him missing in the surf.

Officers lent the man a jacket before paramedics checked if he had been hurt. Picture: Bill Hearne

Worried friends alerted police after a member of their group went missing. Picture: Bill Hearne

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The group had been drinking at the Coogee Bay Hotel on Wednesday when they decided it would be a good idea to go skinny dipping at Bondi Beach.

But when the man did not ­reappear and they found his personal belongings on the beach, they called triple-0 at 3.50am, ­reporting a possible drowning.

In fact, the tourist from Flackwell Heath in Buckinghamshire had drifted to the north end of the beach, clambered out and started walking naked down the street laughing.

The frantic group called police, prompting a major search.

He was found wandering on Military Rd naked before he was given a jacket. Picture: Bill Hearne

When police found him staggering on Military Rd an hour later the unrepentant 25-year-old said: “What’s all the fuss about? I only went skinny dipping”.

One of his tourist companions, named Brittany, said: “He told the cops there was a rip, but there wasn’t, he’s just a f...ing dickhead, I could have killed him, I honestly thought he was dead, we all did.’

“He was laughing when he turned up in Bondi … I honestly don’t think it’s very funny at all.”

The man’s friends talk to police after he went missing. Picture: Bill Hearne

Shadow Emergency Services and Police minister Guy Zangari slammed the man as an “idiot” and said he should be forced to pay the search cost.

“A chopper costs thousands to even get up into the air and three road ambulances attended. Who goes skinny dipping in the dead of the night pissed?,” he told The Daily Telegraph.

“The idiot put resources that could have deployed elsewhere out of action — he should be made the pay the cost. That’ll teach him to keep his todger in his pants.”

Duty police officer at Waverley Inspector Adam Pearce said the tourist was slowly waking up to the ­extent of the rescue operation his drunken antics had caused.

“He took his gear off for fun and walked into the sea intoxicated,” Inspector Pearce said. “I don’t think he remembers much more beyond anything that happened after 2am.

“He cost us a large amount of resources but we had to take the necessary precautions to make sure he was safe; it was reported as a drowning job.

“We can safely report that he is safe and has been reunited with his clothes.”

The man was last seen being driven  back to his home in ritzy Vaucluse, wearing his dry clothes.

The man waved to cameras as he walked away. Picture: Bill Hearne

Originally published as British tourist who sparked massive search after skinny dip slammed for being an ‘idiot’