Eight Years On: A Response to That Message in a Bottle

BRADENTON BEACH, Fla. – When Paris Hoisington and her family discovered a message in a small bottle on the beach last month, it appeared that the story had concluded with the bottle’s remarkable 4,600-mile, eight-year journey.

However, the Hoisingtons have since received a response from the sender of the message.

Peyton Hollenbeck of Hawaii explained that her younger brother penned the message, and they included her phone number in hopes of hearing back one day from someone far away.

Now 21, Hollenbeck recalled the day the bottle was tossed into the ocean at Kaena Point in Oahu eight years prior. “I remember it vividly because I was walking along the beach at my favorite surf spot, and I had found an old message in a bottle without a phone number. My brother and I thought it would be fun to create one ourselves,” she shared in a recent interview.

The note inside the bottle stated, ‘Hello people who found this, you will be happy that you found this. Why? Cause you will know me with this number.’ Upon receiving the message, Hoisington texted the phone number and was delighted to get a response.

The response read: “My brother and I made that when I was younger. We actually live in Hawaii.” Hoisington was astonished, exclaiming, “You’re kidding!”

Hollenbeck shared that her decision to release the message in a bottle was inspired by a similar experience from her childhood when she had found a bottle herself.