51-year-old sailor Tim Shaddock and his dog, Bella, were rescued by in the South Pacific Ocean on Tuesday after being stranded at sea for three months. The pair had left La Paz, Mexico, and were sailing on a white catamaran when a storm damaged their electronics a month into their journey. A helicopter associated with a Mexican tuna trawler spotted Shaddock’s craft about 1,200 miles from land.
Watch the moment of the rescue below:
Sailor Tim Shaddock and dog Bella are rescued after three months adrift in the ocean.
Mr Sharrock set sail from Mexico, bound for French Polynesia, but hit bad weather and told the media, 'I didn't think I'd make it.'
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The pairs survival was dependent on raw fish and rainwater according to Shaddock.
He told reporters:
“I feel really good, I’ve been struggling, you know the health was pretty bad for a while, I was pretty hungry and I didn’t think I would make it through the storm, but now I’m doing really good,”
“I did a lot of fishing. I took a lot of stuff with me, too, good provisions, I mean I lost my cooking along the way so there was a lot of tuna sushi, but it was enough. I’m still very skinny, by the time I came here to the fishing boat I was just eating so much food.”
Despite his lack of food and water over the three months, a doctor remarkably noted his vital signs were normal.
Mike Tipton, a physiology professor at the University of Portsmouth, mentioned that the sailor’s survival was supported by the companionship of his dog. According to Tipton, as long as one can continue collecting water, find occasional food, and maintain a positive attitude, survival chances increase.
Amazingly, Shaddock has decided to leave his faithful Bella in Mexico and gave her to a crew member from the boat who rescued them.
