Current:Home > reviewsSailors reach land safely after sharks nearly sink their boat off Australia: "There were many — maybe 20, maybe 30, maybe more" -Quantum Capital Pro
Sailors reach land safely after sharks nearly sink their boat off Australia: "There were many — maybe 20, maybe 30, maybe more"
View
Date:2025-04-13 15:26:59
Three round-the-world sailors reached land safely Thursday after sharks nearly sank their catamaran in the Coral Sea.
Both of the inflatable hulls on their 30-foot boat were damaged in several attacks by what were thought to be cookiecutter sharks — a small species not considered dangerous to people. Aerial photos of the men's rescue showed major damage to the boat, which was nearly submerged and a front section of one hull was completely missing.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority coordinated the rescue of the two Russian and one French sailor after they activated an emergency beacon early Wednesday 519 miles southeast of the Queensland state city of Cairns. The three were rescued by a Panama-flagged freight ship, which landed them at Mooloolaba Harbor on the Sunshine Coast north of the Queensland capital Brisbane on Thursday, the authority said.
Footage shot by a rescue helicopter showed the catamaran bobbing in calm seas as it was approached by the huge cargo ship.
Rescued sailor Stanislav Beryozkin said he suspected the sharks mistook his boat for a whale.
He said the crew had prepared for sharks, but not for such numbers. "There were many — maybe 20, maybe 30, maybe more," Beryozkin told Seven News television.
They had used double-layered material to protect the inflatable hulls. "But some of them jump and bite above the double material," he said.
Beryozkin, Evgeny Kovalevsky and Frenchman Vincent Thomas Garate had left St. Petersburg, Russia, on July 1, 2021, and had been sailing from Vanuatu to Cairns when they got into trouble.
Cookie cutter sharks grow to between 17 inches and 22 inches long and are named for the circular holes that bite in prey.
Joe Zeller, duty manager at the maritime agency's Canberra response center, said the emergency beacon had saved the sailors' lives.
"The emergency beacon absolutely saved their life. It enabled the Rescue Coordination Center to identify the precise location and tailor the most appropriate and quickest response to rescue them," Zeller told Australia Broadcasting Corp.
"The three males were very happy to be rescued, and they're all healthy and well," Zeller said.
The Coral Sea is brimming with reef sharks and other apex species such as tuna and marlin.
According to the Australian government, it is home to more sharks "than almost any other survey site in the world."
Last year, three men whose fishing boat sank off the Louisiana coast were rescued "in the nick of time" by the U.S. Coast Guard after surviving for more than a day despite being attacked by sharks.
- In:
- Shark Attack
- Australia
veryGood! (48741)
Related
- Costco membership growth 'robust,' even amid fee increase: What to know about earnings release
- Microscopic parasite found in lake reservoir in Baltimore
- 5 Things podcast: Does an uptick in strikes (UAW, WGA, etc.) mean unions are strengthening?
- MLB wild-card series predictions: Who's going to move on in 2023 playoffs?
- Trump suggestion that Egypt, Jordan absorb Palestinians from Gaza draws rejections, confusion
- Malaysians urged not to panic-buy local rice after import prices for the staple rise substantially
- Fires on Indonesia’s Sumatra island cause smoky haze, prompting calls for people to work from home
- Selena Gomez Makes Surprise Appearance at Coldplay Concert to Perform Alongside H.E.R.
- Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
- Bad Bunny and Kendall Jenner heat up dating rumors with joint Gucci campaign
Ranking
- California DMV apologizes for license plate that some say mocks Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- Wind power project in New Jersey would be among farthest off East Coast, company says
- Damar Hamlin plays in first regular-season NFL game since cardiac arrest
- Mobile apps fueling AI-generated nudes of young girls: Spanish police
- Meta releases AI model to enhance Metaverse experience
- Car drives through fence at airport, briefly disrupting operations, officials say
- 5 killed in Illinois truck crash apparently died from ammonia exposure: Coroner
- All Oneboard electric skateboards are under recall after 4 deaths and serious injury reports
Recommendation
Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoes bill that would give striking workers unemployment pay
Four people have died in a plane crash near the Utah desert tourist community of Moab
Clergy abuse survivors propose new ‘zero tolerance’ law following outcry over Vatican appointment
What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
Prosecutors reveal a reason for Capitol rioter’s secretive sentencing: His government cooperation
Black man’s 1845 lynching in downtown Indianapolis recounted with historical marker
US health officials propose using a cheap antibiotic as a ‘morning-after pill’ against STDs