Australian sailor is rescued after surviving two months lost in the middle of the Pacific with his dog Bella eating raw fish and drinking rainwater: ‘Castaway in real life’
- Australian sailor rescued after getting lost in the Pacific Ocean
- Tim Shaddock and his dog Bella survived on raw fish and rainwater
- The Sydney man’s catamaran was hit by a storm two months ago.
An Australian sailor and his dog were miraculously rescued after the couple spent months adrift in the Pacific Ocean eating raw fish and drinking rainwater.
Tim Shaddock and his dog Bella were picked up by a tuna boat off the coast of Mexico after a helicopter accompanying the boat spotted their catamaran.
The Sydney man left La Paz in Mexico in April bound for French Polynesia, but a few weeks into the trip, a storm destroyed the electronics on his boat.
Shaddock said he was forced to drift for two months with only his dog for company and that the couple ate raw fish and drank rainwater to stay alive.
Tim Shaddock (pictured) and his dog Bella were picked up by a tuna boat off the coast of Mexico after spending several months adrift in the Pacific Ocean.
The Sydney man left La Paz in Mexico in April bound for French Polynesia, but a few weeks into the trip, a storm destroyed the electronics on his boat.
Images of his miraculous rescue obtained by nine news it showed a thin Mr. Shaddock sporting an overgrown gray beard while speaking to authorities.
His dog Bella was seen wagging her tail at the camera crew filming the sailor’s catamaran full of buckets and equipment.
“I only have fishing gear, survival gear,” he was heard telling a man from the boat.
Shaddock said he had endured a very difficult ordeal before being rescued by the trawler and had not eaten enough food for “a long time”.
“I need to rest and eat well because I have been alone at sea for a long time,” said the sailor.
I have very good medicine and they are taking good care of me.
A picture of Mr Shaddock after his rescue showed him wearing a wide smile with a blood pressure monitor attached to his arm.
A picture of Mr Shaddock after his rescue showed him sporting a beaming smile with a blood pressure monitor attached to his arm (pictured)
Mr Shaddock (pictured with his dog Bella) said he had endured a very difficult ordeal before being rescued by the trawler and had not eaten enough food for “a long time”.
A trawler doctor compared Mr. Shaddock’s dire situation to Tom Hank’s film Castaway (pictured)
A specialist doctor aboard the trawler said Shaddock is starting to eat small meals while remaining conscious and talkative after the ordeal.
It is understood that he has not suffered any major illness or injury during the time lost in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
The sailor has also avoided sunburn by hiding under a canopy on his boat.
The doctor compared Mr. Shaddock’s plight to Tom Hank’s film Castaway, with the image of the star’s lean, bearded character bearing an uncanny resemblance to the Australian sailor.
The trawler has begun its slow journey back to Mexico, where Mr. Shaddock will receive further medical treatment.
