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The man who was stranded in shark- and crocodile-infested waters after his boat capsized reveals why he almost gave up after clinging to a small piece of wood for 24 hours
- Adea Tabuai, 31, was found alive after floating for 24 hours in the Torres Strait
- He left at 11 a.m. Tuesday but disappeared after his boat capsized in a storm.
- A rescue team found him at 10:25 a.m. on Wednesday, clinging to a piece of wood.
- He said he almost gave up after several rescuers flew in without seeing him.
A man who was “miraculously” rescued from shark and crocodile infested waters after spending 24 hours lost at sea has revealed that he nearly let go of his lifeline when rescue helicopters missed him.
Adea Tabuai, 31, was caught in a storm on Tuesday while island-hopping on her boat in the Torres Strait between Queensland’s Cape York and Papua New Guinea.
Tabuai told his family that he would be leaving Moa Island at 11 am after discovering his great-uncle’s tombstone and heading to Warraber Islet, about a three-hour journey northeast.
However, his concerned family contacted the authorities at 4pm when Tabuai never arrived.
The weather had become so severe that her boat began to fill with water and eventually capsized, leaving Ms. Tabuai clinging to a piece of floorboard that had come loose from the boat.
Adea Tabuai (above) spent 24 hours stranded in the Torres Strait after her ship capsized, but managed to stay afloat by clinging to a piece of broken planking.
To top it off, he had no life jacket, flare, or beacon.
Tabuai had no choice but to cling to the floorboard, roughly half his size, until a search and rescue team found him 24 hours later at around 10:25 a.m. Wednesday.
Despite the waters infested with crocodiles and sharks, Tabuai said the worst part of his ordeal was seeing helicopters overhead that couldn’t spot him in the choppy waves.
“I had seen planes and waved, hoping a passenger or pilot would see me. I saw a helicopter, I waved at it as loudly as I could, but then it was gone,” he told the outlet. Cairns Post.
“I decided if they didn’t come back I would drop the wood and let it float and let the ocean take me away.”
Mr Tabuai (above) was rescued at 10.25am on Wednesday and told by rescuers they saw sharks circling as he floated.
When a rescue helicopter finally brought him to safety, Tabuai was told a group of sharks had been circling him, hoping he would get away.
He admitted that he was “scared” but tried not to think about the danger below and instead prayed for rescue.
Mr. Tabuai’s mental strength was able to keep him going as he suffered from dehydration, exhaustion and numb limbs.
He tried to make a call after his boat began to take on water, but the harsh conditions meant there was no signal.
Mr. Tabuai has spent his life by the sea and has a lot of experience with boats. He regularly fishes for crayfish.
But his time waiting to be saved has taught him to be less casual when heading out on the water.
Mr. Tabuai (above) said he almost lost hope as he watched a rescue plane fly over him, unable to see it in the bad conditions.
Mr Tabuai was found about 2km from his capsized boat (above) and has since vowed to make safety a priority when out on the water.
“I feel different, safety comes first, I know for next time,” he said.
They found him about 2 km from his capsized boat and about 30 km south of where he had left on the island of Moa.
Sergeant Major Anthony Moynihan, chief of the Thursday Island Police Station, said Tabuai’s rescue was “the best outcome possible.”
“This is a Christmas miracle,” he said.
‘The weather up here was horrible, it was too wild for a helicopter.’
Mr. Tabuai is recovering in the hospital, but is said to be “pretty good”.