Man had to survive for five days on deserted island after being dragged out to sea from beach

A bloke survived five days on a deserted island with nothing but a couple of lemons and some charcoal to eat after being swept out to sea. 

Nelson Nedy, 51, says he became stranded on the remote island after he was knocked into the sea by a large wave at a beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Nedy said the strong current swept him almost two miles away to the Palmas Island where he managed to survive for five days. 

He told G1: "There was nothing there. Nothing to hide in, nothing to take shelter in. I had to make a decision to jump in and hunt for another spot."

Handout

After being washed up on Monday 15 August, he took shelter in a cave for the night before exploring the island the following day. 

He discovered a makeshift tent left by fishermen and two lemons, which he ate with their skins on. Nedy said he used a blanket in an attempt to be seen by people on the mainland. 

He said: “I saw people on the beach, but nobody saw me. I thought, 'Can't anyone see me here?' No one looks at the stone to see. It was too far away.”

But after realising that no one could see him, he decided to try and swim over to the coast. 

"I reached halfway but the tide pulling me into the sea. There was a time when I dropped the body and kept saying, whatever God wants now, he can take me."

Following this unsuccessful attempt, he tried again, this time using a piece of styrofoam and plywood as a board, but the current was too strong. 

Handout

As his time on the island wore on, Nedy was forced to drink sea water and even attempted to eat charcoal after seeing monkeys do it.

But that didn’t end well, with the Brazilian explaining: “It dried out my mouth even more and got stuck in the tooth."

Fortunately, Nedy was reduced on Saturday after he saw some people on jet-skis near the island and was able to attract their attention by waving his t- shirt. 

He was airlifted from the island and taken to hospital to be checked over, before being discharged later that same day. 

Now home and recovering, Nedy told the news outlet that he’s keen to return to work but as yet still feels weak.

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Topics: World News

Claire Reid

Claire is a journalist at UNILAD who, after dossing around for a few years, went to Liverpool John Moores University. She graduated with a degree in Journalism and a whole load of debt. When not writing words in exchange for money she is usually at home watching serial killer documentaries surrounded by cats.