Couple survive THREE DAYS clinging to paddleboards in shark-infested waters
The couple were paddling near the southern Great Barrier Reef when a current pulled them out to sea.
A couple have been rescued after spending three days adrift in shark and crocodile-infested waters off Queensland.
The man and woman, both in their 40s, were dropped off on North West Island in the southern Great Barrier Reef on Saturday for a camping trip, the Courier Mail reports.
However, the couple’s holiday took a terrifying turn when they got caught in a rip while paddleboarding later the same day. The current reportedly pulled them further out to sea, leaving them clinging to the boards as they floated 50 nautical miles over three days.
It was not until a fisherman heard “yelling and screaming” at around 9pm on Monday that anyone was made aware the distraught couple were missing, according to the publication. The fisherman found them floating in the water and took them to Rosslyn Bay Marina on Tuesday morning.
Queensland Ambulance Service confirmed to Yahoo News Australia the couple were transported to Capricorn Coast Hospital in Yeppoon after paramedics were called around 10.50am. They were reportedly suffering from shock and exhaustion but appear now to be in a stable condition.
Because the man and woman were not scheduled to return to the mainland on a ferry until Tuesday, authorities were unaware they had been pulled out to sea.
North West Island, which is located 75km northeast of Gladstone, is understood to have no power and only a handful of non-flushable toilets. Mobile phone coverage at the island’s camping site and unreliable, with visitors recommended to bring a marine radio or satellite phone with them, according to the state’s Department of Environment and Science.
Tourists are also urged to be aware that sharks are present in the open ocean all year round.
Busy start to the year for RACQ CQ Rescue
The RACQ CQ rescue helicopter flew an incredible 2300km over the weekend, being sent out on eight rescue missions across the region. On Sunday, two people with “life-threatening lacerations and blood loss” were transported to hospital after separate incidents involving an angle grinder and a filleting knife.
One of them, a 68-year-old man from Carmila, suffered serious gashes to his hand and jaw after the angle grinder “kicked back”, narrowly missing his neck.
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