• News
    • Tech News
    • AI
  • Gadgets
    • Apple
    • iPhone
  • Gaming
    • Playstation
    • Xbox
  • Science
    • News
    • Space
  • Streaming
    • Netflix
  • Vehicles
    • Car News
  • Social Media
    • WhatsApp
    • YouTube
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
TikTok
Snapchat
WhatsApp
Submit Your Content
Insane footage shows harrowing 'final hours' of diver lost at sea just before he's rescued

Home> News

Published 11:54 8 Aug 2024 GMT+1

Insane footage shows harrowing 'final hours' of diver lost at sea just before he's rescued

Jacob Childs had lost all faith that he'd make it out alive

Monica Green

Monica Green

A scuba diver recorded what he thought were his final moments on Earth after he was left stranded in the ocean for more than six hours.

Jacob Childs considered himself a pretty experienced diver, but nothing could have prepared him for the day he went out with a crew in 2016 for a dive off the coast of Queensland, Australia.

Childs was set for the dive at the Althea Wreck, approximately 30 nautical miles north-east of Bundaberg when the worst happened.

Advert

At about midday, Childs was separated from his crew and began to drift with nothing more than the equipment on his back.

In an interview with ABC, Childs explained how he 'missed the rope' which led from the boat into the water.

He continued: 'I surfaced alongside to the boat. 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.'

Advert

Almost immediately an air and sea search for the lost diver was underway.

Incredibly, Childs used his Go-Pro to capture harrowing footage of what he thought would be his final moments on this planet as he lay stranded in the middle of the ocean.

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

The sky continued to darken and Childs' hopes of being rescued continued to dwindle until he was miraculously rescued at about 6pm.

Advert

Speaking to ABC Childs said 'it's a long time to spend by yourself'.

Childs recalls hearing helicopters around him, but they couldn't spot him. Footage even shows the planes flying past him as Childs gets more agitated.

Explaining this to ABC he said: 'Apparently there were a lot of boats out there but I didn't see any of those ... all I had seen and heard was a trawler which I tried swimming towards.'

Jacob Childs was lost at sea off the coast of Queensland for more than six hours (Jakey/YouTube)
Jacob Childs was lost at sea off the coast of Queensland for more than six hours (Jakey/YouTube)

Advert

On of the things that struck viewers was just how calm Childs was in his recordings. He recalls being 'nice and warm' in his wetsuit and not too tired thanks to his float.

He wasn't even overly worried about spending the night at sea, saying: 'I think it's just one of those things ... if you've got to do it, you've got to do it.'

And if you thought the experience put him off diving, you'd be wrong. When asked about if he fancies another dive, Childs responded: 'I'll be in the water tomorrow probably.'

Childs has posted six parts of his footage of the incident to his YouTube channel, leaving viewers in awe.

Advert

One commenter wrote: 'Floating in the ocean alone, sun going down, unsure if you’ll ever get home… & 10x more chilled out than I am when I’m stuck in traffic'

Another viewer explained how he comes back to Childs' video often: 'I always come back to this video. Something about the way he just starts to accept his faith so peacefully has always stuck with me. So glad he got saved.'

Featured Image Credit: Jakey/YouTube
Travel
World News

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

a day ago
  • a day ago

    Vitaly Zdorovetskiy unrecognisable in before and after prison images as Philippines case updated

    Some major charges have been dropped

    News
  • a day ago

    Insane photograph shows full Airbus after Saudi prince booked 80 seats on plane for his falcons

    Birds on a plane

    News
  • a day ago

    Stunning amount 50 Cent's $455,000 Bitcoin investment is worth today after 2014 investment

    50 Cent would be extremely rich if he has held onto his Bitcoin holdings

    News
  • a day ago

    The 'best' smartphone of the year confirmed and it's not what you'd expect

    Who came out on top between Apple, Samsung, and Google?

    News
  • Insane photograph shows full Airbus after Saudi prince booked 80 seats on plane for his falcons
  • Heartbreaking world-first footage of Antarctic sea floor shows how ship anchors and destroying once-pristine ecosystem
  • Terrifying footage shows moment cruise ‘tilts 45 degrees’ in Atlantic Ocean during freak storm
  • Man lost at sea for 438 days was sued for $1,000,000 by family of his crewmate