Australian and His Dog Survive Two Months Adrift in Derelict Vessel

Here's how they survived.

Difficult Ordeal

Earlier this year, a 51-year-old Australian sailor and his dog left the western Mexico coast to sail to French Polynesia.

But a severe storm damaged the catamaran's electronics weeks into their journey, causing them to drift helplessly in the Pacific Ocean.

Two months later, a helicopter accompanying a tuna trawler spotted the vessel still off the coast of Mexico. Miraculously, the pair — Tim Shaddock and his canine companion Bella — survived by drinking rainwater and eating raw fish, Australian broadcaster 9News reports.

Footage shows Shaddock draped in clothing to avoid being burned by the Sun, with bits of food stuck in his overgrown beard, which to be fair is exactly what you'd expect a man to look like after being adrift for two months.

"I have been through a very difficult ordeal at sea," he told 9News. "I'm just needing rest and good food because I have been alone at sea a long time. Otherwise I'm in very good health."

 

Positive Attitude

It's an amazing story of resilience and an extraordinary refusal to give up — not to mention intra-species cooperation and support.

Shaddock's dog Bella likely helped "tremendous amount," University of Portsmouth ocean survival expert Mike Tipton told 9News. "I think that may have well made the difference."

"You're living very much from day-to-day and you have to have a very positive mental attitude in order to get through this kind of ordeal and not give up," he added.

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