How a man miraculously survived 24 hours in shark and crocodile infested waters by clinging to a piece of wood after his inflatable boat capsized in a remote part of northern Australia
- A 31-year-old man was stranded in the rough ocean of Torres Strait for 24 hours
- He had planned to travel from Moa Island to Warraber Islet at 11am on Tuesday
- However, he never arrived, so authorities launched a search and rescue mission
- The harsh conditions meant helicopters could not operate and visibility was poor
- The man was found at 10:25 am Wednesday clinging to the bottom boards of his boat
The rescue of a man found hanging from a piece of floorboard 24 hours after his boat capsized in crocodile-infested waters has been called a “Christmas miracle”.
The 31-year-old was island hopping in the Torres Strait between the tip of Queensland and Papua New Guinea on Tuesday.
Senior Sergeant Anthony Moynihan, Chief of the Thursday Island Police Station, said he was expected at 11am on Moa Island’s Warraber Islet but never arrived.
His disappearance was reported to authorities around 4 p.m., prompting an air and water search.
A 31-year-old man (above) was rescued from the ocean in Torres Strait after clinging to a piece of the bottom board of his capsized boat for more than 24 hours through inclement weather
However, stormy conditions meant helicopters could not operate and visibility was poor.
The man also did not wear a life jacket, beacons or beacons that would have helped searchers spot him in the water.
A fixed-wing aircraft and three helicopters alongside two Border Force helicopters resumed their search for the man at 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, but rescuers held little hope that he would be found alive.
A Moa Island Volunteer Sea Rescue Team and seven local watercraft also joined the operation.
“At 10.25am around Harvey’s Rock the (rescue) jet located the overturned dinghy, the police vessel visited the site and they then found the gentleman seven nautical miles (13 km) north of Thursday Island floating on a piece of wood from the dinghy .” Sgt. Moynihan told Courier Mail.
A large-scale rescue mission was unable to find the man overnight but spotted him around 10.25am on Wednesday after setting out for a nearby island at 11am on Tuesday (pictured man being lifted to a rescue helicopter).
The man’s overturned inflatable boat (above) was spotted by a rescue jet before the man was found adrift in the ocean
The 31-year-old was hoisted to safety and taken to Thursday Island for treatment.
He had managed to stay afloat in the choppy waters for about 24 hours by clinging to a piece of the shattered bottom board of his dinghy.
Sgt Moynihan said the rescue was “the best possible outcome”.
“It’s a Christmas miracle,” he said.
“The weather up here was terrible, it was too wild for a helicopter.”
He also thanked the search and rescue teams and the Australia Maritime Safety Authority and reminded people venturing onto the waters around Torres Strait to take a free loan safety kit before they leave.