Lost at sea: How an Australian sailor and his dog survived three months adrift in the Pacific

It was supposed to be a dream voyage from Mexico to French Polynesia, but it turned into a nightmare for Timothy Lyndsay Shaddock and his dog Bella.

The 54-year-old Australian sailor and his canine companion were rescued by a Mexican tuna boat on Monday, after being adrift in the Pacific Ocean for three months.

Shaddock and Bella had left La Paz, in the state of Baja California Sur, in April on board their catamaran Aloha Toa. But a storm soon damaged their vessel and wiped out its electronics, leaving them stranded in international waters.

With no way to communicate or navigate, they had to rely on raw fish and rainwater to survive. They also faced harsh weather conditions, such as strong winds, high waves and scorching sun.

"I've been through a very difficult ordeal at sea and I'm just needing rest and good food because I've been alone at sea a long time," Shaddock told Australia's Nine News television on Sunday.

"Otherwise, I'm in very good health," he added.

Their luck changed when they were spotted by the crew of a boat from the Grupomar fleet, about 1,900 kilometres from land. The fishermen gave them medical attention, food and hydration, and took them on board.

"To the captain and fishing company that saved my life, I'm just so grateful. I'm alive and I didn't really think I'd make it," Shaddock said.

The tuna boat, captained by Oscar Meza Oregon, was expected to arrive in the Pacific coast port of Manzanillo, Mexico, on Tuesday with Shaddock and Bella.

Antonio Suarez Gutierrez, Grupomar's founder and president, said he was proud of his crew, praising them for their humanity in saving the life of someone in trouble.

Grupomar also provided photographs of the rescue to the media, showing a smiling, bearded and thin Shaddock with a blood pressure cuff around his arm, holding a box of pain medication inside the fishing boat's cabin. In others, Bella is stretched out on the deck. The catamaran floated nearby without a visible sail.

Shaddock is a Sydney resident who has been sailing for more than 20 years. He had bought the catamaran in Mexico last year and planned to sail around the world with Bella.

He said he hoped to reunite with his family in Australia soon and thanked everyone who had been looking for him.

"I love you all very much," he said.

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