After three months adrift at sea, a man and his dog are back on solid land.
Timothy Lyndsay Shaddock, 54, was found floating on his incapacitated catamaran called Aloha Toa when he was rescued by a tuna boat from Mexico, The Associated Press reported Monday.
Shaddock and his dog, Bella, were in international waters in the Pacific Ocean about 1,200 miles from land and were in a “precarious” state when they were found.
#EXCLUSIVE: A Sydney sailor who survived months at sea eating raw fish and drinking rainwater with his dog is "stable and very well". #9Newshttps://t.co/r9ZUg7CX81
— 9News Australia (@9NewsAUS) July 16, 2023
The man and his dog were first spotted by a helicopter that was accompanying the tuna boat, 9 News in Australia reported.
They had no food and no shelter.
The Aloha Toa was damaged in a storm, with the electronics on board becoming inoperable. Shaddock began sailing from La Paz, Mexico, to French Polynesia in April, but weeks later, the trip was over, transitioning to a voyage of survival.
“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 told 9 News. “Otherwise, I’m in very good health.”
He told 9 News that he and Bella survived by eating raw fish and drinking rainwater. Also, he said having Bella with him helped a “tremendous amount.”
The tuna boat’s crew, captained by Oscar Meza Oregón, gave them medical aid, food and water and were taking Shaddock to the Pacific coast port of Manzanillo.
Shaddock and Bella arrived in Manzanillo, about 210 miles west of Mexico City, on Tuesday. It was the first time in three months that the pair had been on dry land after disembarking from the Maria Delia Tuna fishing boat.
“I’m feeling alright. I’m feeling a lot better than I was, I tell ya,” Shaddock said after getting into port, the AP reported.
“To the captain and fishing company that saved my life, I’m just so grateful. I’m alive and I didn’t really think I’d make it,” Shaddock said. He said he and his “amazing” dog are doing well and despite the ordeal, he still loves the ocean.
