A visitor to the island counted his blessings last night when he was brought ashore after spending more than 24 hours adrift at sea.

Hyoung Park, 57, a South Korean national, was reported missing on Tuesday after he was last seen boarding a kayak near The Reefs Resort & Club.

After a prolonged search involving the Bermuda Police Service, the Royal Bermuda Regiment and the US Coast Guard, Mr Park was found floating 26 miles south of the island yesterday afternoon and was picked up by a tanker ship.

Mr Park arrived back on dry land at about 8pm on board the pilot boat St George and was greeted by his family.

Speaking right after reaching St George’s, he profusely thanked his rescuers, including the crew of the tanker Aktoras.

Mr Park said: “All the team, they gave me a warm heart; they saved my life.

“They gave me a second chance — a second life.”

Mr Park said he had almost given up hope during his ordeal far from sight of land.

He said: “Then I was thinking about the next step, the tide going to South Africa or wherever if I survive.

“At that moment, God listened to me, and an airplane is coming.”

A police spokesman said Mr Park had been last spotted at 11.45am on Tuesday boarding a kayak and heading eastward out into the water near the beach at The Reefs, where he was staying with family.

Bermuda Police Service and Royal Bermuda Regiment personnel initially conducted extensive searches along the shoreline, with officers questioning bystanders and combing the water by torch.

However, their search had to be called off at about 8pm because of darkness and high winds.

A US Coast Guard C-130, based in North Carolina, commenced a night-time search in the area off Horseshoe Bay at about 10.50pm and completed two search patterns by 2am, covering about 270 square miles without spotting Mr Park.

The search resumed yesterday with the Department of Marine and Ports pilot boats St David and St George assisted by the fisheries patrol vessel Sentinel and the RBR Coastguard boat Rescue 1 — while a second US Coast Guard C-130 set out to comb the waters out from the South Shore shortly before 11am.

At 1.42pm, the C-130 reported spotting the missing kayak 26 miles south of Gibbs Hill and began to orbit the position while the liquefied natural gas tanker Aktoras diverted to pick up Mr Park.

The vessel, which completed a crew transfer just east of Bermuda in the morning, had been travelling between the US and Poland.

According to Bermuda Maritime Operations, shortly before 4pm, Mr Park had been secured by rescuers alongside a Bermudian-registered tanker.

It came after an aerial search for him continued throughout the day, following the dispatch of a US Coast Guard aircraft last night to scour the seas.

David Dodwell Jr, general manager of The Reefs, said he and staff were “grateful and relieved that our guest, Mr Park, has been found safe following the extensive search”.

He added: “We extend our sincere thanks to the first responders for their tireless efforts, professionalism and care throughout the search operation, and to our guests and the community for their understanding and compassion over the past two days.

“Mr Park and his family are, and have been, receiving our full support, and we ask that their privacy continue to be respected as they take time to recover.”

• Video by Akil Simmons