Australian sailor speaks about being lost at sea with his dog for months: "I didn't really think I'd make it"

An Australian sailor who was lost at sea with his dog for nearly three months spoke about their ordeal during a news conference on Tuesday after being rescued recently in the Pacific Ocean. 

Timothy Shaddock said he didn't think he'd make it, especially because a hurricane was coming.

"I did enjoy being at sea. I enjoyed being out there," he told reporters during a news conference in Manzanillo, Mexico, where he disembarked on Tuesday. "But when things get tough out there, you know, you have to survive. And then when you get saved, you feel like you want to live. So, I'm very grateful."

Shaddock, who was sailing from Mexico to French Polynesia with his dog, Bella, lost contact because his boat's electronics system was damaged during rough seas. 

During the news conference, he said he was rescued after a helicopter flew above his boat. He said it was the first vehicle he had seen in months. After that, a tuna trawler arrived to rescue him. 

The tuna boat, called Grupomar, spotted Shaddock's boat about 1,200 miles from land, according to the Associated Press. When they found Shaddock, he and Bella were in a "precarious" state, according to a statement by the company that operates the fishing fleet.

While lost at sea, Shaddock ate what he called sushi —or raw fish— to survive. "But it was enough, you know. I'm still very skinny. By the time I came here to the fishing boat, I was just eating so much food," he said.

He received medical attention after his rescue and said during the news conference that his health "was pretty bad for a while" but now he's doing "pretty good." He said Bella is a lot braver than he is. 

Mike Tipton, a professor of human and applied physiology at the University of Portsmouth, told 9 News that having a companion like Bella may have made a difference for Shaddock. He added that their survival was based on a "combination of luck and skill."

Shaddock said during the news conference that he plans to return to Australia and that he still loves the ocean. 

"I'm just so grateful," he said about the captain of the boat and the fishing company that saved his life. "I'm alive. And I didn't really think I'd make it."

Caitlin O'Kane

Caitlin O'Kane is a digital content producer covering trending stories for CBS News and its good news brand, The Uplift.