A 51-year-old Australian man was adrift in his disabled catamaran for three months in the open sea. Then he was discovered by accident – together with his dog Bella. He had lived only on raw fish and rainwater.
A shipwrecked Australian has survived three months at sea in his disabled catamaran. The on-board electronics of his catamaran had previously failed due to a storm. The boat drifted through the Pacific with its two occupants. According to media reports, the 51-year-old was accidentally discovered by a helicopter a few days ago. Together with his dog Bella, Tim Shaddock only ate raw fish and rainwater.
Humans and animals are both in surprisingly good condition, the broadcaster 9News quoted the rescued’s doctor as saying. The 51-year-old was significantly emaciated, but in his right mind.
Accidentally spotted by a helicopter
As has only just become known, the duo was discovered at the end of last week by a trawler whose crew was on the lookout for schools of tuna with a small helicopter. The fishermen then took their boat course to the catamaran and brought Shaddock and his dog on board.
The shipwrecked man set sail in April in La Paz, Mexico, and originally wanted to sail from there across the Pacific to French Polynesia – thousands of kilometers away.
“Need rest and good food”
Shaddock said the past few months have been “a terrible ordeal”. “I just need rest and good food because I’ve been alone at sea for so long,” he said. “Other than that, my health is very good.”
Survival expert Mike Tipton said Shaddock was extremely lucky. Discovering such a small boat in the ocean is “like finding a needle in a haystack”. The fact that the dog was there probably “helped enormously” in the long time without human contact, said Tipton. “I think maybe that made the difference.”