• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • FFS PRODUCTIONS
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content

Home> News> World News

Published 11:38 6 Aug 2023 GMT+1

Diver stranded at sea 30 miles off shore recorded his 'final moments'

A man who became stranded 30 miles out at sea captured what he thought were his final moments

Dominic Smithers

Dominic Smithers

A scuba diver who became stranded 30 miles out at sea after getting separated from his group captured what he thought were his final moments on camera.

Jacob Childs was out with a group of divers off the coast of south-east Queensland, Australia, back in 2016 when he got into a bit of trouble.

As he rose out of the water, the 30-year-old lost sight of the safety rope and could see the boat moving away.

Advert

Jacob Childs was left alone in the sea for six hours.
YouTube/ Jacob Childs

Despite his best efforts to keep up with the trawler, it eventually moved out of sight, and he was left all alone for six hours.

With the sun quickly setting, Jacob didn't believe the rescue team would be able to find him in the dark, and decided to capture what he feared were his final moments.

In the video, he says: "So that's it. The sun goes down they won't do nothing. That's a wrap on old Jakey."

Jake Childs was stranded at sea for six hours.
Jacob Childs/YouTube

Advert

In a follow-up, the diver said he got into trouble when he surfaced and found that the rope had been pulled in.

And to make matters worse, rather than coming back to get him, the captain drove off.

Jacob told ABC News at the time: "We took a while to anchor up ... which left us [with] several people in different states of readiness. I was one of the first to hop in [to the water].

"It was then 15 minutes before the last people hopped in ... in which time we were fighting the current the whole way.

"Then we started to descend down the line. One person was up the top, so I went to swap hands and I missed the rope ... so I surfaced alongside to the boat.

Advert

"There was no tagline out the back for me to grab on to ... by the time the skipper had thrown it out I was already past it."

He told the Express: "It's a long time to spend by yourself, and it's a long swim back to shore.

"There's nothing to judge where you are. All the waves look the same and there's no land to try and gage yourself against.

"I think they picked me up eight miles from where we were diving."

A huge rescue mission was launched but they didn't find him for some time.
Jacob Childs/YouTube

Advert

Fortunately, a huge rescue operation got underway to track him down and bring him to shore.

And at about 5.30pm, a plane spotted him bobbing along in the water.

Jacob said: "I was nice and warm in my wetsuit ... I wasn't overly tired as I was floating.

"I just wanted a drink of water and a cup of tea."

The officer in charge of the rescue mission, Sergeant Rob Jorna, said Jacob's experience as a diver and an instructor made it possible for the team to find him.

Advert

Sergeant Jorna said: "He knew what to do, and his level headedness at the time, and he didn't panic and he did all the right things, and activated his safety equipment which alerted the air observer."

Featured Image Credit: Jacob Childs/YouTube

Topics: Australia, World News, Social Media

Dominic Smithers
Dominic Smithers

Dominic Smithers is LADbible's Editorial Lead. After graduating from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History, he went on to write for the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express. So as you can imagine, he’s spent many a night wondering just how useful that second language has been. But c'est la vie.

X

@SmithersDom

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

an hour ago
2 hours ago
14 hours ago
  • David Sacks/X
    an hour ago

    All the world’s most powerful people in Cristiano Ronaldo’s White House selfie

    It was his first visit to the US since 2016

    News
  • Instagram/@d4vddd
    an hour ago

    Police give shocking update on singer D4vd's fate after dead teenager found in boot of Tesla

    The body of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, 15, was found in D4vd's Tesla in September

    News
  • Getty Stock Image
    2 hours ago

    Shocking new health warning issued to people who smoke two cigarettes a day

    Smoking just a couple of cigarettes a day can have drastic implications for your health, according to the study

    News
  • Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
    14 hours ago

    US House votes to fully release Epstein files, here’s what happens next

    The US House have voted 427-1 in favour of releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files

    News
  • Woman, 65, recorded final video and left heartbreaking note before ending her life with assisted dying
  • YouTuber went 'undercover as a white man' at United the Kingdom march and recorded horrifying racism
  • Plane crashes into children's centre with at least 19 confirmed dead
  • Friends of man who recorded ‘final moments’ during shark attack halt GoFundMe donations