Dan Fitzgerald and Stu Fillman owe their lives to the resilience offered by their scuba suits after a harrowing ordeal.
Their dramatic rescue, which was captured on camera, tells a story of survival and endurance that they might have feared would never come to fruition.
Stranded four kilometers from land, Fitzgerald and Fillman spent an entire day and night adrift in the vast ocean.
Without the safety of a life raft, the pair relied solely on each other’s presence for comfort and strength until the break of dawn brought hope from above.
“You could see the relief wash over them,” rescue crew officer Alex Carroll recounted. “It was as if a massive weight had been lifted off their shoulders when they saw us and thought, ‘Thank God you’re here.’
The men, aged 43 and 45, had been diving at Flat Rock, north of Point Lookout on North Stradbroke Island, when strong currents pulled them away from their boat.
Those on board raised the alarm yesterday morning when they didn’t return, sparking a multi-agency search for the experienced divers.
They were winched to safety by the Westpac Surf Live Saving helicopter almost 24 hours later in remarkably good spirits and good condition.
Their dry suits are credited with keeping them warm.
Fitzgerald said he was spending time with family after giving them a scare while Fillman sent a message to those who saved them.
“Thank you to our emergency services teams in aircraft, on the water, or on land for turning this into a happy ending,” he said.
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