Man discovers 36-year-old message in a bottle and the original writer is delighted

Old school communication meets new school communication.

Ryan Burchett found a message in a bottle last weekend on Little St. Simons in Georgia. The buoyant letter was 36 years ago and thanks to social media he was able to connect with the original sender.

Douglas Stephens sent the bottle afloat off the Atlantic coast of Florida back on June 10, 1981. The letter included his name, address, the date, and a request for the finder to let him know where and when they found the bottle.

Burchett found the bottle while fishing with friends in southern Georgia, 40 miles from Fernandina Beach where Stephens set the bottle adrift.

Wanting to follow the note's instructions, Burchett tried to find the writer but discovered Stephens wasn't on Facebook, and had since moved from his original address.

Based on the suggestion of a mutual friend, Burchett reached out to the Southeast Adventure Outfitters on Facebook to share the note on their page.

According to 11Alive, Burchett got in contact with Stephens over the phone after, "more than 1,500 shares and hundreds of comments, tags, and connections."

Now that the two have made contact, Burchett says he plans to "reunite [Stephens] with his note and share the pictures."

Hopefully message in a bottle texting won't make a comeback. It's not very environmentally friendly.