Three men safely rescued from Coral Sea after shark attacks cause boat destruction
World News: In a harrowing ordeal off the northeastern coast of Australia, a group of three sailors aboard an inflatable catamaran narrowly escaped a series of shark attacks that left their vessel severely damaged. The incident unfolded as the sailors, consisting of two Russians and one French national, aged 28 to 63, were en-route from Vanuatu to the city of Cairns. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) swiftly responded to an emergency beacon signal received at approximately 1:30 a.m.
Check out the video from the search and rescue AMSA coordinated early this morning.
Remember to always bring a registered beacon with you when you're out on the water - it could help save your life.
Find out more: https://t.co/CI6BO1mfGx#SafeSeas #SavingLives pic.twitter.com/MPhzYNFt9U
— AMSA News (@AMSA_News) September 6, 2023
Upon reaching the distressed catamaran, rescue teams were met with a grim sight—the boat's twin hulls had sustained extensive damage from multiple shark attacks. Photographs and videos from the rescue operation captured the severity of the situation, with the catamaran nearly submerged and one hull's front section entirely missing.
AMSA has coordinated the rescue of three people from a catamaran in the Coral Sea, after the hull of their vessel was damaged from several shark attacks.
Read more at: https://t.co/pziA18xOX2#SafeSeas #SavingLives pic.twitter.com/pJRHjXZ27z — AMSA News (@AMSA_News) September 6, 2023
The rescue operation, conducted by the colossal Panama-registered vehicle carrier, the 650-foot Dugong Ace, unfolded approximately 835 kilometers (520 miles) southeast of Cairns in the treacherous waters of the Coral Sea.
Remarkably, all three men on board the beleaguered vessel emerged unscathed and in good health, according to Anna Kosikhina, a spokesperson for the voyage. They are expected to reach Brisbane safely on Thursday. However, the fate of the ill-fated catamaran remains uncertain.
Stanislav Beryozkin, one of the rescued sailors, speculated that the sharks may have mistaken their boat for a whale, as reported by NBC. The motives behind the shark attacks remain shrouded in mystery, as Joe Zeller, the acting manager of the AMSA Response Centre, noted, "There are many reasons why vessels are attacked by sharks. However, the motivations of these sharks are unclear."
One undeniable hero of the story was the emergency beacon, which played a pivotal role in ensuring the sailors' survival. Mr. Zeller underscored its importance, stating, "The emergency beacon absolutely saved their lives. It enabled the rescue coordination center to identify their precise location and empower the most appropriate and quickest response to rescue them."
The incident underscores the inherent dangers of navigating the Coral Sea, known to be home to a significant population of sharks, making it one of the world's most shark-infested areas, as per the Australian government's classification.
- PTC NEWS
