Australian man and dog rescued after being stranded for months in Pacific Ocean

Tim Shaddock, an Australian sailor who was stranded in the Pacific Ocean with his dog and survived by only eating raw fish and drinking rainwater for months has been rescued and is in a stable condition, doctors said.

51-year-oldShaddock, hailing from Sydney had embarked upon a 6,000 km-long (3,728-mile) trip to French Polynesia from Mexico's La Paz alongside his dog Bella in April. However, a few weeks after the start of the journey, their boat was caught in a ferocious storm. Although the duosurvived the rough weather, the boat was irreparably damaged, leaving them stranded in the middle of nowhere.

Having spent two months out in nothingness, they were finally rescued by a trawler last week when a helicopter spotted them. The doctors on the tuna trawler, upon examiningShaddock, said he had "normal vital signs".

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I want to rest: Shaddock

After the rescue, a smiling Shaddock, wearing a blood pressure monitor on his arm said he wanted to rest, having been alone all this time.

"I have been through a very difficult ordeal at sea. I'm just needing rest and good food because I have been alone at sea a long time," he told 9News, adding, "Otherwise I'm in very good health."

Shaddocksaid the fishing gear he bought with him helped him survive while sheltering under the boat's canopy helped avoid sunburn.

Luck and skill

Ocean survival experts saidShaddock's survival was a combination of luck and skill.

"It's a combination of luck and skill.And also knowing for example, as Tim did, that during the heat of the day, you need to protect yourself because the last thing you want when you're in danger of becoming dehydrated is to be sweating,"Professor Mike Tipton, an ocean survival expert told the publication.

Tipton added that having Bella on board may have helped Shaddock brave two months on the boat.

"I think that may have well made the difference. You're living very much from day to day and you have to have a very positive mental attitude in order to get through this kind of ordeal and not give up."

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Shaddock beating death against the odds might not be his biggest win to date. Two decades ago, he was diagnosed with stage four bowler cancer. But since then, he has managed to make the most out of his life.

“I gradually found myself applying more and more health ideas that I discovered in my travels and before you knew it, I was still alive despite the lapse of time and things were getting better each moment,” Shaddock toldThe Raw Food Kitchen blog.

(With inputs from agencies)

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