Aussie sailor Tim Shaddock and dog Bella survive two months lost at sea eating raw fish
Australian sailor Tim Shaddock was lost at sea for two months and feared he would never be found. He survived eating raw fish and with the love of his pet dog Bella
READING LEVEL: GREEN
An Australian sailor who was lost at sea for two months feared he would never be found but said his love for the ocean and his accidental pet dog were behind his amazing survival.
Tim Shaddock, dubbed the ‘the real life Aussie castaway*’ after the famous Tom Hanks movie Cast Away, returned to dry land in Mexico on Wednesday on a fishing boat that spotted him stranded* in the Pacific Ocean last week.
Mr Shaddock revealed how he ate raw tuna, drank rainwater, and enjoyed swimming in the ocean as he floated on his boat that was damaged in a storm.
“I’m just grateful I’m alive – I really didn’t think I’d make it,” Mr Shaddock said.
“The health was pretty bad for a while, I was pretty hungry and I didn’t think I’d make it through the storm. But now I’m really doing good.”
The sailor, who is originally from Sydney, set off in May from Mexico for the islands of French Polynesia about 6000km east of Australia, but soon lost communications in a storm and was unable to call for help.
“I did a lot of fishing, I took a lot of stuff with me too. Good provisions*. I lost my cooking (tools) along the way so it was a lot of tuna sushi,” Mr Shaddock said.
“But it was enough. I’m still very skinny.
“The fatigue* is the hardest part. You’re always fixing something. For me, I would try and find the happiness inside myself and I found that a lot alone at sea.
“There were many, many bad days, and many good days.”
“I did enjoy being at sea … but when things get tough out there, you have to survive. And then when you get saved, you feel like you want to live.”
Mr Shaddock survived alongside his dog Bella, who he said had “sort of found me in the middle of Mexico”.
“She’s amazing. I tried to find a home for her maybe three times and she just kept following me on to the water … She’s a beautiful animal, I’m just grateful she’s alive. She’s a lot braver than I am, that’s for sure.”
A helicopter working with the Maria Della fishing boat spotted Mr Shaddock in the water last week before the crew came to pick him up.
“To the captain and this fishing company that saved my life, what do you say … Thank you, thank you so much,” he said.
They were unable to bring his traditional French Polynesian boat back to shore, with Mr Shaddock saying: “It’s out there somewhere … she’s a beauty.”
Asked if he would return to the ocean soon, the sailor said: “Probably not.”
He plans to return to Australia soon to see his family, and said he would “maybe” consider shaving his very bushy beard.
Bella will remain with the Maria Della crew in Mexico.
POLL
GLOSSARY
- castaway: a person stuck in an isolated place
- stranded: stuck somewhere and unable to move away
- provisions: food and water
- fatigue: tiredness
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QUICK QUIZ
1. Why is Mr Shaddock called ‘the real life Aussie castaway’?
2. Where did his boat leave from and where was it found?
3. What did he eat and drink while stranded?
4. Apart from hunger, what was the hardest condition he had to cope with?
5. Who is Bella and what role did she play in his survival?
LISTEN TO THIS STORY
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Ask Bella!
If you could interview Bella about her experiences as a castaway dog, what questions would you ask? Write at least five questions. Then write the answers that you think she would give you!
Time: allow 25 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English
2. Extension
Tim said that he had to ‘Find the happiness inside myself’ to help him survive. Be inspired by this idea. Create a poster or write an inspiring story that will help other kids understand why this idea is so important and can help us in our everyday lives.
Time: allow 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Health and Physical Education, Personal and Social Capability
VCOP ACTIVITY
Read with Kung Fu punctuation
Pair up with the article between you and stand up to make it easy to demonstrate your Kung Fu punctuation.
Practise reading one sentence at a time. Now read it again, while acting out the punctuation as you read.
Read and act three sentences before swapping with your partner.
Take two turns each.
Now ask your partner to read a sentence out loud while you try and act out the punctuation. Can you keep up? Swap over?
Try acting out two sentences – are you laughing yet?