Australian man and his dog rescued by Mexican tuna boat after drifting 3 months in the Pacific Ocean
Tuesday, 18 July 2023 17:39
MANZANILLO, Mexico — An Australian sailor who had been adrift at sea with his dog for three months has been rescued by a Mexican tuna boat in international waters, the owner of a fishing vessel said Monday.
Timothy Lyndsay Shaddock, 54, was aboard the crippled Aloha Toa catamaran in the Pacific about 1,200 miles (1,900 kilometers) from land when crew members from the Grupomar fleet spotted them, the company said in a statement.
The company said Shaddock and his dog Bella were in a “critical” state when they were found, lacking supplies and shelter. The tuna boat crew provided them with medical care, food and hydration, he said.
Grupomar did not provide specific details on what day Shaddock was rescued or when he started his voyage.
Australia’s Tim Shaddock’s blood pressure was taken after being rescued by a Mexican tuna boat in international waters, after being adrift with his dogs for three months.
Grupomar/Atun Tuny via AP
The tuna boat, captained by Oscar Meza Oregón, is expected to arrive in the Pacific coast port of Manzanillo on Tuesday with Shaddock and Bella.
Antonio Suárez Gutiérrez, founder and president of Grupomar, said he was proud of his crew, commending them for their humanity in saving the life of someone in trouble.
Shaddock told Australia’s Nine News television that he and his dog were surviving on raw fish and rainwater after the storm damaged his boat and damaged his electronics.
“I’ve been through a very difficult ordeal at sea and I just need rest and good food because I’ve been alone at sea for a long time,” said a thin and bearded Shaddock in a video broadcast by Nine on Sunday evening Australia. time.
“Otherwise I’m in very good health,” Shaddock added.
The Sydney resident and his dog had sailed from the Mexican city of La Paz to French Polynesia in April, but the voyage ended within weeks, reported Sydney newspaper The Daily Telegraph.
In rescue photos provided by Grupomar to the AP, a smiling, bearded and gaunt Shaddock is seen with a blood pressure cuff on his arm, holding a box of painkillers in the fishing vessel’s cabin. Elsewhere, Bella was lying on the deck. The catamaran hovered nearby with no sails in sight.
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