Things to remember when you’re in the middle of the ocean and your boat is being eaten by a shark

Three foreign sailors on a round-the-world voyage have told their rescuers about a terrifying ordeal before they were rescued from their inflatable boat which was attacked by sharks in the Coral Sea.

Sep 06, 2023, updated May 22, 2025
Two of the sailors involved in the harrowing ordeal. (Image: Russian Geobraphic Society)
Two of the sailors involved in the harrowing ordeal. (Image: Russian Geobraphic Society)

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) responded to an emergency distress call at 1.30am on Wednesday for a nine-metre catamaran, the Tion, about 800km southeast of Cairns.

The two Russian men and a French man aboard the vessel had left Vanuatu on their way to Cairns when their boat began to sink following damage to both hulls from several shark attacks, the authority said.

The two Russians, Evgeny Kovalevsky and Stanislav Beryozkin, were on the Pacific leg of their attempt to circumnavigate the globe, with Frenchman Vincent Etienne as a temporary crew member.

The sailors left Vanuatu on August 28 and planned to land in Cairns about September 11.

Their journey began in St Petersburg in July 2021 but almost ended quickly and in darkness out at sea.

A first attack by sharks on Monday damaged the rear left balloon of the catamaran leaving it completely submerged, according to a statement on the expedition’s website.

Late on Tuesday evening sharks attacked again, this time biting through the right cylinder and causing the boat to sink.

The men issued a distress signal and AMSA directed vehicle carrier ship the Dugong Ace to their location before Cairns-based Challenger Rescue Aircraft arrived at the scene.

The Dugong Ace retrieved the men, who were in good health, AMSA said.

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The ship diverted its route to Brisbane and is expected to arrive on Thursday.

AMSA said the rescue was a “timely reminder” to always carry a distress beacon while on the water.

“GPS-equipped EPIRBs and personal locater beacons can save your life in an emergency,” it said.

The Russians’ three-year voyage aims to re-create the first Russian round-the-world expeditions of the 19th century.

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