A 70-year-old Tokyo man returned to shore safely Monday after being swept out to sea about 16 hours earlier.
The Japan Coast Guard said Hideo Murasugi managed to swim back to the shoreline in Ishigaki, Okinawa Prefecture, on his own. He had been swept away by the tide Sunday afternoon while snorkeling about a kilometer offshore.
The coast guard launched an unsuccessful search for him Sunday after a friend reported him missing.
Wearing a wet suit, snorkel, goggles and flippers, Murasugi started swimming toward shore in the morning after drifting throughout the night, during which he did not try to swim against the tide, the coast guard said.