Featured Image Credit: 9News
Topics: Australia, Animals, World News
Chloe Rowland
An Aussie sailor has been compared to Cast Away's Chuck Nolan after becoming lost at sea for months with his dog.
Sydney sailor Tim Shaddock and his four-legged friend Bella were travelling from Mexico to French Polynesia back in April when a storm suddenly hit just weeks into their voyage, damaging their boat.
All communications on the boat were cut off and Shaddock and Bella were left stranded in the Pacific Ocean, left hoping someone would miraculously turn up and rescue them.
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Well, incredibly, around two months later that day finally came when a helicopter travelling with a tuna trawler spotted the pair at sea.
Shaddock and his pup managed to defy the odds by eating raw fish and drinking rainwater for weeks on end. It’s also understood that the Aussie used the boat’s shelter to shield himself from suffering severe sunburn.
Even more unbelievable is the fact the pair haven't suffered any kind of major injury or illness. When the 51-year-old was found, rescuers noted that he appeared to be in good spirits and appeared to be relatively healthy, despite all he'd been through.
Speaking to 9News, Shaddock himself said he was in 'very good health'.
"I have been through a very difficult ordeal at sea," he said. "I'm just needing rest and good food because I have been alone at sea a long time.
“I have very good medicine and I’m being looked after very well.”
Shaddock and Bella are currently making their journey back to dry land in Mexico where they will receive more medical treatment.
Since hitting the news, their story has drawn comparisons to survival flick Cast Away, which follows Chuck Noland ( played by Tom Hanks), a man who survives a plane crash and ends up stranded on an island for four years all alone.
Professor Mike Tipton, an ocean survival expert, said Shaddock and Bella's incredible story was 'a combination of luck and skill' and shed some insight into how they managed to survive.
"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 said.
"People need to appreciate how small the boat is and how vast the Pacific is. The chances of someone being found are pretty slim.
"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.
"But also, having a plan, rationing yourself in terms of water and food, is really the secret to long survival voyages.
"Just imagine how dark and lonely it would feel out there at night time."
Tipton anticipates Shaddock will need to be medically monitored for a number of months following the ordeal, and will need to be slowly weaned back onto a normal diet.
In an update, Shaddock's doctor said he is currently 'stable and very well' and had 'normal vital signs'.