Australian man and dog survive in ocean for 2 months on raw fish

An Australian man and his dog managed to survive in the Pacific Ocean for two months by only eating raw fish and drinking rainwater.

Tim Shaddock, 51, and his dog Bella were left stranded in the Pacific after a storm damaged their boat more than 60 days ago.

The man was on a 6,000-kilometre voyage from Mexico's La Paz to French Polynesia. He embarked on the trip in April and was found lost at sea on July 12. His boat was some 1,200 miles from land when it was spotted.

They were rescued when a helicopter accompanying a Mexican tuna trawler spotted the boat. The doctors aboard the trawler examined Shaddock and found that he had normal vital signs.

Later, Shaddock told Australia's 9News: "I have been through a very difficult ordeal at sea." He added, "I'm just needing rest and good food because I have been alone at sea for a long time. Otherwise, I'm in very good health."

He further elaborated on how he managed to save himself and his dog during their 60-day ordeal. He explained how he protected himself from sunburn by taking shelter under the canopy of the boat.

This is not the first time that Shaddock beat death against all odds. He was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer 20 years ago but managed to survive the disease as well. Meanwhile, the tuna trawler is on its way back to Mexico, where Shaddock will undergo further medical tests.

In a similar incident, a Brazilian man survived 11 days in the ocean by taking refuge in a floating freezer from his boat. Romualdo Macedo Rodrigues was on a fishing trip when his boat sank in the Atlantic.

He did not know how to swim. Therefore, he decided to use the freezer as a makeshift boat. He was rescued by other fishermen off the coast of Suriname 11 days later. Suriname is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. He was found 280 miles away from where he sank.

Earlier this year, a 47-year-old man from Dominica, managed to survive for 24 days at sea because of a bottle of tomato ketchup.

Elvis Francois was repairing his boat near the island of Saint Martin when his boat got pulled into the sea because of bad weather. He could not find his way home and spent weeks waiting for help to come. Had it not been for the Colombian authorities, he may not have been able to make it out alive.

The sailor was found 120 nautical miles northwest of Colombia's Puerto Bolívar after a plane spotted the word "help" engraved on the hull of a boat.

"I had no food. It was just a bottle of ketchup that was on the boat, garlic powder and Maggi (stock cubes) so I mixed it up with some water," he said in the video released by the Colombian army.

"Twenty four days – no land, nobody to talk to. Don't know what to do, don't know where you are. It was rough," he said. "At a certain time, I lose hope. I think about my family," added Francois, recalling his struggle.

He was given medical care after being rescued and was eventually handed over to immigration authorities.

In another dramatic tale of survival at sea, a Brazilian man managed to survive on a deserted island off the coast of Rio de Janeiro for five days by eating two lemons and a lump of charcoal.

The 51-year-old man, identified as Nelson Nedy, ended up on the island after a wave knocked him down near Grumari Beach. Nedy somehow managed to find a cave to sleep in on his first night on the island before he went out to look for help the next day.

He found a makeshift tent left by local fishermen as well as two lemons on the ground. He used a blanket as a flag so someone could spot him, but it did not help. He even tried to swim back to Grumari Beach, but the tide pulled him back towards the island.

The man was rescued after jet skiers spotted him waving his shirt from the island. They alerted the authorities to his whereabouts. He was then airlifted from the island. Nedy did not have any serious health issues and was discharged the same day from the hospital.