If you’ve ever gone fishing, you likely have a story about “the one that got away.” The big fish you just couldn’t manage to pull in. It’s usually not a big deal. You just assume you’ll get the next one.
In this case, the “one that got away” was a GoPro camera and the fisherman in this story fell overboard attempting to retrieve it before it dissappeared into the abyss.
His plunge into the water wasn’t only because he wanted to save his expensive camera. He also had a marlin pulling on his line. It’s one of those scenarios you never expect to happen at the same time. It was a perfect storm of confusion.
Thus began a harrowing life or death struggle for the angler, Ross Chapman, as he was fishing for marlin off the coast of Western Australia — about 30 nautical miles away from North West Cape, on Tuesday.
In an attempt to grab the camera, Chapman fell into the water. Lucky for him, it’s summer in Australia. Unlucky for him, his boat sped away, leaving him stranded in the drink where he remained for over six hours before he was finally rescued.
Just because it’s warm right now in the Southern Hemisphere, that doesn’t mean the water is as warm as the indoor pool at a Hilton Garden Inn. After finally being rescued, the very tired Chapman was treated for hypothermia at nearby Exmouth Hospital.
Exmouth Police would like to thank Exmouth VMR, Fisheries, DPAW and a huge thanks to the #Exmouth community for their help yesterday. #fb pic.twitter.com/9Xy9sjfCaQ
— Exmouth Police (@ExmouthPol) January 4, 2017
“I think everybody is extremely relieved that he was found at all,” Rusty Ellis, commander of the group that rescued Chapman told the BBC. “It could have quite easily been a disastrous situation.”
In the future, I’m sure Chapman will find a better way to hold on to his camera. Or just let it go. A few hours treading water can really make someone rethink their connection to gadgets.
