His survival is a miracle. Two Australians were rescued Monday night after being adrift for three days following a paddleboarding excursion. They were staying on the remote and wild island of North West, off the west coast of Australia, and were washed away by the waves before moving more than 50 kilometers to the mainland.
It was a father and son, who were staying in their small fishing boat as part of a few days excursion, who came to their rescue. The son, Lorne Benussi, heard cries for help as he was just laying down. He then took his flashlight and pointed it into the water to identify the source of the pleas. The fisherman then discovered two people in the water and pulled out a boat to join them despite strong winds and torrential rain. Faced with his weakness, he put them in the boat.
‘They were completely stunned’
“They collapsed, barely able to move. They were both completely stunned,” says Lorne Benussi.
The survivors, who lost their paddle boards during the drift, returned to the boat, where they were able to drink, eat and shower. With no telephone network in this area, which is also isolated, the two fishermen were unable to contact the emergency services. But given the night and the terrible weather conditions, they decided to wait until dawn to return to the coast.
“The young man had to drink some salt water. He had some kind of cramp and was really broken,” reports Lorne Benussi again.
shark infested water
Only when the castaways awoke could they explain their journey to their rescuers. These two forty-somethings from the big city of Brisbane, some 600 kilometers to the south, had gone to the island to camp for a few days and practice paddle surfing. During their drift, they would have crossed several boats, but the crews would not have seen them despite their calls.
Lorne Benussi insists on the possibility that the couple had of surviving for three days in waters known to harbor many sharks, which also do not eat or drink, but also drift towards the coast and not towards the open sea.
“If they had floated in the other direction, it would have been a completely different story,” judges the fisherman.
“We had some close friends who perished at sea here, so they are very lucky to have been able to stay on the board for so long,” he adds.
On the way back to shore, the fishermen again had access to the telephone network and Lorne Benussi was able to send a text message to his cousin, who in turn contacted the maritime police and medical emergencies. Upon arrival at the port of Rosslyn Bay on Tuesday morning, the survivors were carried on stretchers.
“You should play the lottery”
“If you have to float in the water without a life jacket or anything on it and it lasts more than 36 hours, you have to play bingo,” said the manager of the company that operates the ship’s connection to North West Island, Adam Balkin. .
He also explains that between 40 and 50 people had camped on the island in recent days, adding that it was important to share plans with other campers in such a remote location. It is also advisable to bring a radio because there is very little network. Conditions that can quickly turn emergencies visitors may face into critical ones.
Source: BFM TV
