I’ll send an SOS to the world… I hope that someone gets my… I hope that someone gets my…
A message in a bottle tossed into the ocean off Ocean City in 1973 has finally been found, more than five decades later, in the wetlands of Upper Township.
John Kauterman, co-founder of the nonprofit Tidelands Initiative, discovered the sealed bottle during a routine cleanup effort in June. Inside was a note dated August 20, 1973, describing a tale of captivity and shark-infested waters.
The message reads:
“This bottle was adrift on August 20, 1973 on 2nd Street beach Ocean City as my captors were transporting me to an island off shore in the Atlantic. Please notify my family that a band of ruthless sponge fisherman are forcing me to dive for them in shark infested waters! Please return this note to my home in [address]. You may have saved my life! Thank you. Laurie Blair.”
The story behind the note traces back to a nine-year-old Laurie Blair, who dreamed up the dramatic tale while at the beach with her older sister. Since Laurie’s sister had the better handwriting at the time, Laurie dictated the story to her before the two launched the bottle into the Atlantic together, according to UPI.
After finding the bottle, Kauterman posted a photo to social media, hoping to track down its author. The post eventually reached Laurie’s sister, who confirmed the story and recalled her sibling’s imaginative, quirky sense of humor.
The discovery came with a bittersweet twist: Laurie had passed away from cancer years earlier.
Laurie’s sister plans to frame the letter in a shadow box to display in her home.
Kauterman says finding decades-old glass bottles alongside modern litter isn’t unusual during Tidelands Initiative cleanups.
The organization is working to clear debris from South Jersey’s wetlands while helping preserve the habitats that remain there.
So, if you’re hoping that message you sent out decades ago turns up, chances are the Tidelands Initiative might find it.
The New Jersey Digest is a new jersey magazine that has chronicled daily life in the Garden State for over 10 years.