Australian Man Rescued After Floating for Nearly 24 Hours in Shark-Infested Waters

An Australian man is lucky to be alive after he floated for nearly 24 hours in shark- and crocodile-infested waters while only hanging on to a piece of wood.

The 31-year-old man was set to sail in a “dinghy” from Moa Island to Warraber (Sue) Islet in the Torres Strait Islands — located between far northern continental Australia’s Cape York Peninsula and the island of New Guinea — on Tuesday, according to Australian broadcast outlet ABC.

He began his 40-mile (60-kilometer) journey at 9:30 a.m. and called his family at 11:00 a.m. to update them on his travels. However, he did not arrive at his intended destination and was reported missing at 6:00 p.m.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) and the Queensland Water Police (QWP) commenced a search for the missing man at around 10:00 p.m. but called off the search later in the night due to bad weather.

The search started again at around 6:30 a.m. Wednesday and involved police vessels, rescue helicopters, and local volunteers.

At approximately 11:30 a.m., a dinghy was spotted flipped upside down in the water. Moments later, following an aerial search of the area, the missing person was located one mile (two kilometers) away from his boat.

Photos from the AMSA show that the man was floating in the water while clinging onto a wooden piece of debris.

“It’s incredible. It’s one in a million,” QWP Senior Sergeant Moynihan told ABC.

“To be floating in that water and knowing the creatures that are in there and to still be there some 20 hours later — he’s an extremely lucky fella,” Moynihan added.

The Torres Strait Islands contain large saltwater crocodiles and sharks that frequently swim between the islands and continental Australia, making the 31-year-old’s survival all the more remarkable.

The man was flown by helicopter to a nearby hospital and was noted to be in “good spirits” and not suffering from any serious conditions, according to officials.

The rescue was described by officials as a “Christmas miracle.”

You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.