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An Australian sailor and his dog, adrift for three months in the Pacific Ocean, survived on his damaged vessel by eating raw fish and drinking rainwater.
Timothy Lyndsay Shaddock, 54, and his pup, Bella, were found alive aboard his catamaran, Aloha Toa, in the Pacific about 1,200 miles from land after the crew of a Mexican tuna boat from the Grupomar fleet spotted them, the company said Monday in a statement.
"I’ve been through a very difficult ordeal at sea, and I’m just needing rest and good food because I’ve been alone at sea a long time," Shaddock, who appeared thin and bearded, said in a video broadcast by Australia's 9News television on Sunday night Australian time.
"Otherwise, I’m in very good health," Shaddock said.
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Tim Shaddock has his blood pressure checked after being rescued by a Mexican tuna boat. (Grupomar / Atun Tuny via AP)
Shaddock described how he and his dog survived on raw fish and rainwater after a storm damaged his vessel and wiped out its electronics, cutting off all communications.
Bella rolls on the deck after she and Shaddock were rescued by a Mexican tuna boat after being adrift for three months. (Grupomar / Atun Tuny via AP)
Shaddock, of Sydney, and Bella had set sail from the Mexican city of La Paz for French Polynesia in April. The voyage, however, ended within weeks, Sydney’s Daily Telegraph newspaper reported.
The crew of the tuna vessel said they found the pair in a "precarious" state, lacking food provisions and shelter. Grupomar did not provide specific details on what day Shaddock was rescued or when he had started his voyage.
Timothy Shaddock and his dog, Bella, were aboard his disabled catamaran Aloha Toa some 1,200 miles from land when they were rescued. (Grupomar / Atun Tuny via AP)
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Shaddock’s doctor told 9News that he had "normal vital signs" and, along with Bella, was "stable and very well."
Professor Mike Tipton, an ocean survival expert at the University of Portsmouth in England, told the outlet that both luck and skill contributed to the survival of the man and his dog, likening the rescue to finding a "needle in a haystack."
"People need to appreciate how small the boat is and how vast the Pacific is. The chances of someone being found are pretty slim," Tipton said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.