Lost phone miraculously found and working after 460 days at sea leaving Havant woman 'shocked'

She fell off her paddleboard at Eastney beach on August 3 last year, losing her iPhone 8+ which plummeted to the sea bed. After forgetting about the device, she got a surprise message this year from a stranger saying it was found on August 6.

Ms Atfield, of Havant, was stunned to find it after such a long time. She told The News: ‘It’s crazy! We worked out I lost it on August 3 last year when I was out paddleboarding over Eastney way.

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‘It was in a waterproof case, but I didn’t think I would ever see it again. It had been lost out at sea for 460 days and somehow it had washed back up again on Eastney beach.’

The 39-year-old said the man found her contact details via old credit and bank cards which were in the case, with her mum’s contact details on a medical card.

Despite being encased, she was surprised it survived. Ms Atfield said: ‘I started paddleboarding in April last year early in the morning before work. I had the phone in a special holder you can get if you’re going out at sea, which I wore round my neck.

‘It had disconnected from the lanyard. When I fell off into the water and got back onto my paddleboard, I realised that I lost it. It obviously didn’t float.

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‘You can get phone cases which do though, so that will be my next port of call. I can’t believe it still works. The back of the phone is completely smashed, so you would have thought water would have got in. It’s mad he managed to find it.’

Luckily for Ms Atfield, most of her photos on the phone were backed up, but pictures and cherished memories from that morning were returned. She has since bought a dry bag and said hopefully her phone would not be lost at sea again.

Ms Atfield added: ‘Both I and the gentleman who found it were completely in shock. I’m stunned more damage wasn’t caused to it, especially how rough the sea can get down there, it’s mad. I never thought I would have seen it again, or for it to be working.’