Australian castaway survives eating raw fish and drinking rainwater for months until rescue alongside pet dog
17 July 2023, 07:15 | Updated: 17 July 2023, 08:33
An Australian sailor survived months at sea eating raw fish and drinking rainwater alongside his dog in a feat reminiscent of the Tom Hanks film Cast Away.
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Tim Shaddock's boat was damaged after a storm in the Pacific Ocean weeks into a voyage from Mexico to French Polynesia.
The 51-year-old Sydney native, who had his dog Bella on board, left La Paz on the Baja California peninsula three months ago.
They had to survive on the fish and rainwater for two months until a helicopter that was working with a tuna trawler spotted them.
"I have been through a very difficult ordeal at sea," he told Australia's 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."
Shaddock is due to receive further medical care while Bella is also doing well.
Ocean survival expert Mike Tipton compared the ordeal to Cast Away, the 2000 film where Tom Hanks' character is stranded on an island in the Pacific.
"It's a combination of luck and skill," he told Weekend Today in Australia.
"And also knowing for example, as Tim did, that during the heat of the day you need to protect yourself because the last thing you want when you're in danger of becoming dehydrated is to be sweating."
He added that the secret to survival is planning the rationing food and water.
But it was remarkable Shaddock was even found.
"People need to appreciate how small the boat is and how vast the Pacific is. The chances of someone being found are pretty slim," he said.
The isolation would have required a "very positive mental attitude" and having Bella for company "may well have made the difference", Prof Tipton went on.
Shaddock will now need to get himself slowly back on to a proper diet, and will likely need to be monitored for several months.
