Drifting in a catamaran for more than two months in the Pacific Ocean, an Australian sailor and his beloved dog survived on rainwater and raw fish until they were rescued by a Mexican tuna trawler.
In April, Tim Shaddock and his dog Bella left a port in Mexico in order to sail to French Polynesia. A few weeks into the journey, their tiny craft was damaged in rough ocean waters, sending them adrift for months.
In April, 51-year-old Tim Shaddock from Sydney, Australia and his dog Bella left the port of La Paz, Mexico and set sail for French Polynesia. A few weeks into their voyage, a storm struck and damaged the catamaran’s electronic and communications systems.
The small craft, named Aloha Toa (aloha meaning “breath of life,” and Toa being a “valiant Polynesian warrior”) was left drifting in the deep waters of the Pacific Ocean for more than two months, but the real-life castaway did not give up the hope of being rescued.
Putting his survival skills to work, Tim provided raw fish–that he caught with the fishing gear he had on board–and rainwater–that he collected during storms–for himself and his furry pal.
Vulnerable to the heatstroke and exposure from the burning sun, Tim used the boats’ canopy to shelter himself and Bella, an adorable dog who appears to be a German Shepherd mix.
The sailor and his dog had their prayers answered when a helicopter accompanying a tuna trawler spotted the drifting craft.
The fishing boat, operated by Grupomar/Tuny, said that on July 12, it rescued Tim and Bella from the catamaran in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, about 1,200 miles from land. The crew on the ship provided medical care, hydration and nutrition, and then sailed the two to the Port of Manzanillo, where they arrived on July 18.
A doctor who helped treat the Aussie sailor, said that he’s “stable and very well” and has “normal vital signs.” Bella was also well.
“I have been through a very difficult ordeal at sea,” Tim told Australia’s 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.”
The man, whose beard and brows were shaggy and overgrown, had grown considerably slim from his castaway diet and Bella, who can be seen near her human dad in many of the photos, looks like she was fed and watered fairly.
“I’m feeling alright. I’m feeling a lot better than I was, I tell ya,” Tim said to media on Tuesday when he finally had his feet on the ground. “To the captain and fishing company that saved my life, I’m just so grateful. I’m alive and I didn’t really think I’d make it,” he said, adding that he and his “amazing” dog are both doing well now, and that he still loves the ocean.
