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Great Barrier Reef divers found | Great Barrier Reef divers found |
(about 4 hours later) | |
Two scuba divers have been found alive after spending a night missing on Australia's Great Barrier Reef. | Two scuba divers have been found alive after spending a night missing on Australia's Great Barrier Reef. |
Briton Richard Neely, 38, and 40-year-old American Allison Dalton were rescued nine miles from where they left their chartered diving boat. | |
They were lifted to safety after an 18-hour search involving a dozen aircraft. | |
The divers were flown to a hospital in the state of Queensland, where they are said to be in good spirits despite | |
suffering mild hypothermia. | |
They were spotted by a rescue helicopter near the Whitsunday Islands off Queensland's coast. | |
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Couple rescued from shark infested waters after 20 hours | |
Officials said the two were lucky to be alive, and credited their survival to their diving experience and ability to remain calm. | |
"They strapped themselves together using their weight belts, they conserved energy, stayed as a pair and awaited rescue," said Shane Chelepy, a Queensland police official. | "They strapped themselves together using their weight belts, they conserved energy, stayed as a pair and awaited rescue," said Shane Chelepy, a Queensland police official. |
The divers had become lost on Friday when they resurfaced 200 yards (metres) from their dive boat after a reef dive. | The divers had become lost on Friday when they resurfaced 200 yards (metres) from their dive boat after a reef dive. |
Officials said it was inevitable such mishaps would occur on the Great Barrier Reef - the world's largest coral reef system - which attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, says the BBC's Phil Mercer in Sydney. | Officials said it was inevitable such mishaps would occur on the Great Barrier Reef - the world's largest coral reef system - which attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, says the BBC's Phil Mercer in Sydney. |