Three men, two Russians and one French, were sailing from Vanuatu to Cairns, Australia, on an inflatable catamaran when they encountered a nightmare scenario: several shark attacks that damaged their boat and left them stranded in the middle of the Coral Sea.
The men, who were on a sailing adventure called the “Barracuda”, had to endure 12 hours of fear and uncertainty as they waited for rescue while sharks circled around them and repeatedly bit their hulls, causing them to lose air and water.
“It was very hard to sleep because you’re always thinking about what’s going to happen next,” said Etienne Roche, the French sailor, who spoke to CNN from Cairns.
The ordeal began on Monday, September 5, 2023, when the men noticed that their boat was losing air. They tried to pump it up, but soon realized that there were holes in the hulls. They suspected that sharks had attacked their boat during the night, but they did not see any signs of them.
They decided to continue sailing, hoping to reach land or find another vessel. But their situation worsened as more sharks appeared and attacked their boat again.
“They were very aggressive. They were biting the hulls, the rudders, the propellers. They were everywhere,” said Vladimir Shvetsov, one of the Russian sailors.
The men tried to scare off the sharks by banging on the boat, throwing objects at them and using a flare gun. But nothing worked. The sharks persisted and damaged their boat further.
“We were losing air very fast. We had to pump every 10 minutes. We also lost our water tank. We had no more fresh water,” said Roche.
The men realized that they had no choice but to activate their emergency beacon and hope for rescue. They did so on Monday night at around 8:40 p.m. local time.
They also had a satellite phone and contacted their families and friends to inform them of their situation.
They then prepared for a long night on their sinking boat. They put on life jackets, gathered some food and water, and got into a life raft that was attached to the boat.
They also had flares and an EPIRB (emergency position-indicating radio beacon) that would help rescuers locate them.
They tried to stay calm and positive, but they were also terrified by the sharks that continued to attack their boat.
“The sharks were circling around them for hours. It was like a scene from Jaws,” said Captain Brett Devine, owner of the Silver Supporter, a cargo ship that was nearby and received their distress signal.
Devine said he immediately changed course and headed toward the sailors’ location. He also contacted the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA), which dispatched a rescue aircraft called the Challenger 604.
The Silver Supporter arrived at the scene at around 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday, September 6, 2023. The Challenger 604 arrived shortly after.
The rescuers spotted the sailors’ boat, which was partially sunken and surrounded by sharks.
“They were very lucky that they had a registered beacon and that they had a satellite phone as well,” said Rachel Johnson, AMSA spokeswoman.
The rescuers lowered a basket from the aircraft and lifted the sailors one by one. They then transferred them to the Silver Supporter, where they received medical attention and food.
“They were very brave and very calm. They did everything right. They had life jackets, they had a life raft, they had flares, they had an EPIRB,” said John Twomey, pilot of the Challenger 604.
The sailors were healthy and well, but they had to abandon their boat, which was too damaged to be salvaged.
They expressed their gratitude to the Australian authorities and the crew of the Silver Supporter who saved their lives.
“We will never forget this adventure,” said Shvetsov.
Relevant articles:
– Three men rescued from waters off Australia after sharks attack inflatable catamaran, CNN, September 6, 2023
– 3 men rescued after sharks repeatedly attack their inflatable boat, MSN, September 6, 2023
– 3 sailors rescued after sharks attack and partially destroy their inflatable boat off Australian coast, CBS News, September 6, 2023
– Three Rescued from Inflatable Boat on Coral Sea After Several Shark Attacks, MSN, September 6, 2023