A man spent almost 24 hours clinging to a piece of wood in shark- and crocodile-infested waters off Australia after his small dinghy capsized — with cops calling his rescue a “Christmas miracle.”
The unidentified 31-year-old was winched to safety after air rescue teams finally spotted him floating in the Torres Strait Wednesday morning — with photos showing him gripping onto a square of wood half his size without a lifejacket or any other safety equipment.
“It’s incredible. It’s one in a million,” Senior Sergeant Anthony Moynihan told Australian broadcaster ABC.
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“To be floating in that water and knowing the creatures that are in there and to still be there some 20 hours later — he’s an extremely lucky fella.”
The man left Moa Island — located in the strait between Australia and Papua New Guinea — in his small dinghy at about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday for the approximately 40-mile trip to Warraber Islet, the outlet said.
Until about 11 a.m., he had been in touch with his family — who then reported him missing at 6 p.m. after he failed to reach his destination or get back in touch.
The initial nighttime search had to be called off, before resuming Wednesday morning — when his dinghy was first spotted at around 11:30 a.m., the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said.
He was then spotted just over a mile away clinging to the flotsam, the officials said.
“He’s in really good spirits and not suffering from any serious conditions,” Senior Sergeant Moynihan said — while using it as a message to tell water users to “enjoy yourselves but just make sure you get enough safety equipment.”
