Divers Survive 21 Hours at Sea Off Australia Coast

When water police finally reached the life raft bobbing in the ocean, all Stu Fillman could say was, "Boy, are we glad to see you guys."

The 43-year-old experienced diver and his instructor had just survived 21 hours lost at sea off Stradbroke Island, Queensland. What started as the final day of a technical diving course turned into a fight for survival when strong currents swept them away from their boat.

Fillman and his 45-year-old instructor surfaced around 8am Saturday to find 1.5-meter swells blocking them from view. They could see their boat, but the boat couldn't see them. Within two hours, Fillman's fitness watch showed they had drifted 10 kilometers from their starting point.

The pair made tough calls to stay alive. They dumped heavy dive tanks and swam toward shore for six hours. At night, they tied themselves together with remaining gear to avoid drifting apart.

Search aircraft passed close three times during the first day. "The worst part was we worried they would consider that area searched and move on somewhere else," Fillman said.

His drysuit became his lifeline. The insulated suit kept hypothermia at bay through the cold night. "That's probably the biggest factor in me being here today," he said.

Why This Inspires

Fillman had already faced death before. Seven years ago, doctors diagnosed him with multiple myeloma, an incurable blood cancer that led to heart failure. Even with that experience, he called this "the closest" he came to dying.

"I don't know if it was stubbornness or refusal, but I was like, 'This is not the way I'm going to go,'" he said. His conviction that rescue would come kept both divers focused through the darkest hours.

Back on the Gold Coast, his wife Gemma waited by the phone. "I've never been so terrified in my life," she said through tears. Her faith in his swimming and diving skills helped her hold on to hope.

Just before 7am Sunday, a search jet spotted the men. Water police deployed a life raft and pulled them to safety. They had drifted 25 kilometers south but were alive.

Maritime Safety Queensland's Kell Dillon praised their preparation. The divers had logged a dive plan with their boat and carried proper safety equipment. When they didn't return as scheduled, the alarm went up immediately.

Sometimes survival comes down to preparation meeting determination, and two families got their loved ones back because both were there when it mattered most.