Australian castaway rescued in Mexico, Tim Shaddock reveals first meal back

A past interview with the Australian sailor who was stranded in the Pacific Ocean reveals his stark former life working as an IT expert.

Photos of Tim Shaddock taken decades ago reveal a glimpse into the former life of the Australian castaway who was stranded in the Pacific Ocean for three months before being rescued by a tuna crawler.

The 54-year-old was stuck off the coast of Mexico with his dog, Bella, after a storm damaged his catamaran’s electronics and communication system. At the time, he was just weeks into a sailing trip, travelling from the Port of La Paz in Mexico to French Polynesia on his catamaran.

In Mexico after being rescued after three months at sea, Tim Shaddock is expected to return to Australia soon. Picture: Handout/ Grupomar/ AFP

Fronting cameras after his July 12 rescue, Mr Shaddock appeared severely slimmed down after surviving on measly rations of raw fish and rainwater.

In 2013, the Sydney man spoke to The Raw Food Kitchen about a cancer diagnosis in the 1990s that progressed to stage 4 bowel cancer in the early 2000s. One photo from the post showed Mr Shaddock weighing about 120kg.

A photo of Mr Shaddock from decades ago. Picture: The Raw Food Kitchen

He originally worked at IBM as a tech specialist. Picture: The Raw Food Kitchen

He said the disease caused him to change his relationship with food, including experimenting with a raw food diet, fasting and drinking smoothies and juices.

“At the time I felt that my diagnosis was so severe, that I really did not have that much to lose by going right out on a limb with natural health,” he said.

Mr Shaddock also shared a glimpse into his former career working in IT at tech multinational IBM.

“Another defining moment was when I was in corporate and very busy and quite literally dying,” he said.

“Part of my ritual in those days was to harvest and juice large quantities of wheatgrass and take it with me as well as another blended drink with superfoods.”

After arriving at the Mexican port of Manzanillo on Tuesday local time, he shared his plans for when he returned home to Australia.

“We did ask him what is your first meal going to be. He seems to have his humour intact. He says it will be tuna sushi,” Today’s US Correspondent Lauren Tomasi said.

He survived three months drifting off the coast of Mexico. Picture: 9 News.

Mr Shaddock was rescued by a Mexican tuna vessel. Picture: Handout/ Grupomar/ AFP

Mr Shaddock said he was “so grateful” to be alive and described the moment he saw the helicopter that alerted the trawler to his location.

“This land I’m on currently is amazing, you know, it’s really good. I’m grateful to be here,” he said.

“It made me feel like I was going to live, you know. The helicopter was the first I have seen of any boat for three months.”

Although the sailor is set to return to Australia, his dog Bella will remain in Mexico and live with one of the crew members who rescued the pair.

The sailor initially found her while travelling through Mexico.

He said his first meal back in Australia would be tuna sushi. Picture: Today/ Channel 9

While he was severely dehydrated and malnourished when he was rescued about six days ago, Mr Shadcock was able to endure the harsh conditions by living off rainwater and raw fish.

Speaking to reporters after his rescue, he said he initially “didn’t think I’d make it”.

“There were many, many bad days, and many good days,” he said.

“The health was pretty bad for a while, I was pretty hungry and I didn’t think I’d make it through the storm. But now I’m really doing good.

While his meagre diet was “enough” to keep him alive, it also left him tired.

“I’m still very skinny – by the time I came here to the fishing boat, I was just eating so much food,” Mr Shaddock continued.

“The fatigue is the hardest part. You’re always fixing something. For me, I would try and find the happiness inside myself and I found that a lot alone at sea. I would go in the water too and just enjoy being in the water.”