An ocean survival expert says warm water temperature likely helped a couple survive three days drifting through shark-infested waters in central Queensland.

The man and woman were paddleboarding at North West Island on Saturday before they drifted 55 nautical miles to Yellow Patch near Curtis island.

A fisherman rescued them without their boards on Monday night when they were barely able to keep their heads above the surface while treading water.

Professor Mike Tipton, an ocean survival expert, said the tropical, warmer waters in central Queensland would have prevented the couple from developing hypothermia quickly.

“Which is why I suspect at the end of it, these individuals survived for three days,” he said.

Tips to stay alive

Professor Tipton said to survive at sea, the most critical requirement was air, followed by a warm enough body temperature, access to freshwater, and then food.

“The most important thing that people can do when they’re going down to do activities around the water is wear a life jacket,” he said.

“It means you can keep your airway — which is that number one survival priority — clear of the water with very little effort.”

He said if swept out to sea without a life jacket, it was important to relax and float.

He said for people lost at sea, the desire to drink saltwater increased with a prolonged lack of access to freshwater.

“Whatever you do, don’t drink saltwater, even if you really are thirsty and craving saltwater, which is the situation people get to,” Professor Tipton said.

Key points:

• A researcher in sea survival advises people to focus on floating and conserving energy if swept out to sea
• It follows the rescue this week of a couple who drifted in the ocean for three days
• The pair had been paddleboarding and floated for 55 kilometres from North West Island

Source
ABC News