Survivor Story
Riding into Danger: Survival on the Oodnadatta Track
How an EPIRB Helped Save Our Crew During an Offshore Storm
7
lives saved
Boating
Mechanical failure
Rescue location
5V57W59H+MC -26.080783357353°S, 165.178588875°ERescue team
Local Search and RescueRescue duration
480What happened?
On day eight of our offshore passage from Australia to Fiji, everything changed.
We had already lost both engines when a violent storm hit us in the middle of the night. Heavy seas, lightning, and complete darkness surrounded us as our mast suddenly came crashing down. With no safe way to cut the rig free, it began slamming against the hull with every wave. We could hear the impact over and over again, knowing that if it broke through the hull, we could start taking on water.
There were four of us onboard, two couples and our three dogs. Exhausted, frightened, and exposed to the storm, we focused on staying calm and making the right decisions under pressure.
Using satellite communications, we managed to establish contact with rescue authorities and activated our EPIRB. That signal quickly became our lifeline. It confirmed our exact position and allowed rescue coordination to begin immediately.
Rescue authorities connected us with a nearby cruise ship that altered course and came to assist us. In the darkness and severe conditions, we were safely evacuated along with our dogs, making the difficult decision to abandon our boat behind.
Against the odds, the hull survived.
Because the EPIRB remained onboard, the signal continued to play a critical role even after the rescue itself. It ultimately helped rescuers locate our vessel adrift at sea and contributed to its recovery. What began as a survival story eventually became a recovery story, something we never imagined possible that night.
This experience reinforced something we now share regularly: preparation saves lives. The EPIRB was not simply another piece of equipment onboard. It became a critical part of the chain that brought us to safety and ultimately helped us recover our home from the sea.
Boat recovery (EPIRB visible onboard):
https://youtu.be/aiat2x6vuyI
Rescue operation (EPIRB visible during the event):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KueN7ObGnh8
Words of wisdom
Stay calm, don’t lose hope, and prepare for the worst before it happens. Redundancy saves lives – always have more than one way to call for help.
Thank you note to the Ocean Signal team
Thank you to the Ocean Signal team for creating equipment that truly saves lives — and in our case, even our home. We left our EPIRB onboard when we had to abandon the boat, and that signal ultimately led to her being found and recovered. We are deeply grateful — your work matters more than you know.