Society

An Australian man lives a “Castaway” movie-like story and survives by a “miracle”


In a story reminiscent of a famous Hollywood film, an Australian sailor and his dog were rescued off the coast of Mexico after being “lost” at sea for two months.

Tim Shaddock set off to French Polynesia from Mexico in April, but his boat suffered severe damage due to a storm just one month into the journey.

The 51-year-old man and his dog, Bella, survived under a small canopy on his wrecked boat for weeks before they were spotted by a helicopter on Thursday, which was searching for tuna for fishing purposes.

A doctor monitoring Mr. Shaddock’s health from the beach and working with the captain of the fishing vessel told 9News Australia that the sailor had “normal vital signs” and was “stable and in very good health.”

In a video clip, Shaddock said, “I’ve been through an extremely tough ordeal at sea, and I just needed rest and good food because I was alone at sea for a long time. I didn’t have enough food.”

Shaddock, who is from Sydney, Australia, departed in the northern Pacific Ocean after encountering bad weather conditions weeks after setting sail from La Paz on the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico.

The electronic devices on his boat were damaged by the storm, making him unable to call for help.

Shaddock survived by collecting rainwater and eating raw fish.

Professor Mike Tipton, an expert in “ocean survival” from the University of Portsmouth, told Sky News that Mr. Shaddock’s survival was a combination of luck and skill.

Tom Hanks movie

Shaddock’s story caught the attention of the public and the media, who quickly compared it to the famous Hollywood film “Castaway” starring American actor Tom Hanks.

The popular film tells the story of a man who gets lost in the middle of the ocean and remains alone on a deserted island before deciding to sail out to sea for months until he is found by a ship, similar to Shaddock’s story.

Shaddock lived a real-life “Castaway” experience, which made him appear as a hero for being able to withstand the extreme waves alone.

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