Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Five Divers Stranded on Remote Island!


Remember last week when I posted about the two divers left at sea? Well, here's a similar article courtesy of ABC News, but in this case the divers were swept away from their dive site due to strong currents, and ended up washing up on shore on a remote island, where they faced hungry Komodo Dragons of all things.

The five divers, three from the U.K., one from France, and one from Sweden, were exploring the waters off the coast of Indonesia when they were caught up in the incredibly strong current that washed them 20 miles away from their starting point through shark infested waters no less. Fortunately they washed up on a small island called Rinca, which was actually the last piece of land before the were completely washed out into the open sea. The group lashed their diving vests together to stay close, after they had struggled against the current for so long, but managed to work together to reach the shore.

Once they were on the beach however, they still weren't out of the water. (Pun fully intended!) While on Rinca, they encountered a large Komodo Dragon. Indigenous only to Indonesia, the Dragons are the largest lizards in the world. They are incredibly strong and tough, and like the taste of meat besides. Their jaws are powerful, with nasty teeth, and their bite, while not venomous, has been known to be so filled with bacteria that it might as well be a poison. The divers managed to fight off the Komodo by throwing rocks at it and hitting it with sticks.

Later, they were spotted on the beach waving for help by a passing boat and were rescued shortly there after. Crazy stuff! Thankfully they didn't go the way of Gilligan's Island, being stranded their for three seasons...er... years.

No comments:

Post a Comment