An Australian man and his dog were discovered by a tuna trawler off the coast of Mexico after spending three months drifting helplessly around the Pacific Ocean.
The rescuers filmed the moment they came across Tim Shaddock and his dog Bella, who survived by eating raw fish and drinking rainwater.
Sydney resident Shaddock, 51, and his canine companion left Mexico and sailed for French Polynesia in April, but their catamaran was hit by a storm that wiped out the electronics several weeks later, the BBC reports.
They were rescued by a passing trawler this week after a helicopter spotted them.
The doctor aboard the tuna trawler told Australia’s 9News the man had “normal vital signs.”
Tim Shaddock, pictured on recovery, survived three months alone at sea alongside his dog Bella. (Picture: 9News)
Shaddock embarked on his more than 3,728-mile voyage from Mexico’s city of La Paz before running into trouble.
It left the sailor and his dog drifting in the vast and hostile North Pacific ocean.
When they were finally found off Mexico’s coast two months later, he was far leaner and sporting an overgrown beard.
“I have been through a very difficult ordeal at sea,” he said in a video obtained by 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 said fishing gear had helped him to survive while he also managed to avoid sunburn by sheltering under his boat’s canopy.
Soon after his rescue the relieved Aussie sailor was seen smiling and wearing a blood pressure monitor on his arm and was reportedly also able to eat small meals.
The tuna trawler is now heading back to Mexico where the grateful Australian sailor and his dog will undergo medical tests and receive more treatment if needed.
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