Owner of abandoned Coast Guard station 30 miles out to sea films himself SUNBATHING during Hurricane Matthew

  • Richard Neal owns the Frying Pan Tower and decided to bare the brunt of the storm sitting in a deck chair on the roof of the abandoned rig
  • Despite 140mph winds and rough seas, the man was seeing laying shirtless and with his eyes closed
  • As the eye of the storm passed overhead, there was complete calm

A couple decided to ride out Hurricane Matthew on the top an abandoned Coast Guard Station some 34 miles off the coast of North Carolina.

Richard Neal grabbed his deckchair and placed it on the roof of the rusty rig in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean before laying back and attempting to relax as the monster storm swirled around him.

At one stage, the eye of the hurricane passed directly overhead and for a short period of time everything was calm. 

Richard ended up broadcasting the view of the storm live from his tower on his webcam. 

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Richard Neal , who owns the Frying Pan Tower, a platform that is about 100 or so feet above the ocean, decided to ride out Hurricane Matthew by grabbing a chair and sitting on the roof 

Richard Neal , who owns the Frying Pan Tower, a platform that is about 100 or so feet above the ocean, decided to ride out Hurricane Matthew by grabbing a chair and sitting on the roof 

The platform is only reachable by helicopter or boat. While the 360-degree views of sunsets and sunrises are amazing, there's no land in sight

The platform is only reachable by helicopter or boat. While the 360-degree views of sunsets and sunrises are amazing, there's no land in sight

The Frying Pan Tower is completely isolated and Mr Neal had to tell the Coast Guard that he did not expect to be rescued should anything happen to him or his platform

The Frying Pan Tower is completely isolated and Mr Neal had to tell the Coast Guard that he did not expect to be rescued should anything happen to him or his platform

Hurricane-force winds led to huge waves battering the rusty and rickety structure.

Richard, along with his fiancee are owners of the Frying Pan Tower. The platform is about 100 above the ocean and only reachable by helicopter or boat.

While the 360-degree views of sunsets and sunrises are amazing, there's no land in sight.

Richard purchased the light station from the government after the Coast Guard abandoned it 2004, saying GPS and radar made the light station obsolete for ships navigating the shallow Frying Pan Shoals.

Richard rents the tower out as a vacation home, touting the mild weather and good fishing in the Gulf Stream below.

Richard was able to lay down on his deckchair with his shirt off as the storm raged around him. The only way to reach the rig is by boat

Richard was able to lay down on his deckchair with his shirt off as the storm raged around him. The only way to reach the rig is by boat

The couple run an unusual bed and breakfast from the top of the station

The couple run an unusual bed and breakfast from the top of the station

'I can honestly say that this is a solid old beast,' Richard said of the light station during a brief phone interview with The Associated Press on Saturday as the center of the storm turned toward him.

'We are getting some amazingly huge waves that make it shake and tremor,' he said. 'But steel is amazingly tough.'

Richard said he believed the tower would be safe because he 'accidentally' rode out Hurricane Arthur on it two years ago.

On that occasion, he and his guests became trapped by the storm and couldn't leave. Arthur and Matthew had about the same wind speeds as they approached North Carolina.

'We knew that all the tower would do is shake and leak,' he said.

Richard said he coordinated with the Coast Guard and acknowledged he would be on his own should anything happen to the tower.

He and his fiancee talked about going back to the mainland two or three times but made the decision to stay.

'You know she really must love me if she came out with me,' he said.

The pair decided to ride out  Hurricane Matthew from their rickety outpost

The pair decided to ride out  Hurricane Matthew from their rickety outpost

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