1 of 2 Image of Tim Shaddock just after his rescue and arrival in Mexico Photo: AFP Image of Tim Shaddock just after his rescue and arrival in Mexico Photo: AFP
An Australian shipwreck rescued along with his dog from a Mexican boat after spending more than two months adrift in the Pacific Ocean arrived at the port of Manzanillo, Mexico, this Tuesday (18).
Timothy Shaddock, 54, was found by a Grupomar tuna fishing boat with his dog Bella. As they drifted, the two survived on raw fish and rainwater.
“Thank you, I’m alive. I just want to take it easy,” Shaddock told the press after stepping ashore. “What about the captain and his crew that saved my life? I am so grateful.”
Shaddock left the boat with a grown beard and a cap with the tuna company’s logo on it.
The Australian explained that the days he spent at sea were difficult as he also faced a storm.
“It was a bit shaky for a while, I was very hungry, I thought I wouldn’t survive the storm, but I’m very fine now,” he said, noting that he is now very thin.
He said he caught plenty of fish and had ample supplies during his days at sea. However, on the way he lost his kitchen utensils and had to eat raw fish.
2 of 2 Mexican fishermen who rescued an Australian man and the dog in the sea show the animal Photo: Ulises Ruiz/AFP Mexican fishermen who rescued an Australian man and the dog in the sea show the animal Photo: Ulises Ruiz/ AFP
Shaddock and his dog had set off aboard a catamaran from La Paz on Mexico’s Baja California peninsula for a 6,000km voyage to French Polynesia.
But their ship, named Aloha Toa, was damaged during a severe storm in the eastern Pacific that left them adrift for more than two months.
Shaddock said he found the strength within himself not to give up during the days of uncertainty.
“Fatigue is the hardest part. You always fix something and I tried to find the joy in myself. I’ve found being alone at sea,” he said.
The man also said his dog was “amazing.” He explained that he found the animal in Mexico and that she followed him despite his three attempts to find a home for her.
“She’s an amazing animal, I’m grateful she’s alive, she’s so much braver than me.” According to an AFP reporter, the dog stayed on board the fishing boat.
The company, which sells canned tuna under the Tuny brand, said in a widely publicized statement yesterday that the Australian was “more than 2,200 kilometers from land” when it was found.
Grupomar founder and President Antonio Suárez thanked the ship’s crew for rescuing the Australian seafarer.
“Life is very beautiful and we were responsible for saving the life of a human being and the little dog that was accompanying him,” Suárez told reporters.
“The medical care on board our boats has fallen into very good hands,” he added.
Suárez also reported that the ship that rescued the shipwrecked man was the smallest and oldest of his company and that the voyage on which Shaddock was found would surely be the last.
“[O barco] will say goodbye very pleasantly,” he said.