A man spent almost 24 hours clinging to a piece of wood in shark- and crocodile-infested waters off Australia after his small dinghy capsized – and police called his rescue a “Christmas miracle”.
The unidentified 31-year-old was hoisted to safety after air rescue teams finally saw him floating in Torres Street on Wednesday morning – with Photos show him holding on to a wooden square half his height, with no life jacket or other safety gear.
“It’s unbelievable. It’s one in a million,” Senior Sergeant Anthony Moynihan told Australia’s ABC.
An unidentified man spent nearly 24 hours clinging to a piece of wood off the Australian coast. Australian Maritime Safety Authority
The man’s small dinghy capsized. Australian Maritime Safety Authority
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“To be swimming in that water and knowing the creatures that are in it and still being there about 20 hours later – he’s an extremely lucky guy.”
The man left Moa Island – located in the strait between Australia and Papua New Guinea – in his small dinghy around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday for the roughly 40-mile journey to Warraber Islet, the outlet said.
He was in contact with his family until around 11am – who then reported him missing at 6pm after he failed to reach his destination or report back.
The rescued was “really in a good mood”. Australian Maritime Safety Authority
The initial nighttime search had to be called off before resuming on Wednesday morning – when his dinghy was first sighted around 11:30am, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said.
He was then seen just over a mile away clinging to the flotsam, officials said.
“He’s in really good spirits and doesn’t have any serious illnesses,” Senior Sergeant Moynihan said – using it as a message to tell water users to “have fun, but just make sure you have enough safety gear.”