Australian story of John Deer surviving after being stranded 17km offshore in Panama

When Australian sailor John Deer fell off his yacht in the Caribbean Sea, he thought he wouldn’t make it through the night alive.

But when he saw his boat drift off into the distance, the 41-year-old realized he had a choice: wait for the waves to finally pull him down or try to swim the 17km to shore.

‘I kind of stepped on the water for a second and I thought, ‘Right, I’m going to die’,’ he told 60Minutes.

‘Then I thought ‘am I just going to float and wait for my lungs to fill with water?’ I might as well start swimming.”

“So I started swimming.”

Three years ago, Mr Deer left his home in Melbourne to embark on the journey of a lifetime – a solo sailing adventure around the world.

He bought a used yacht, called the Julieta, in the Greek Islands and started his journey – sailing across the Mediterranean, visiting Albania, Italy, then exploring the islands around Spain.

Despite having no previous sailing experience, he ‘threw himself into the deep end’ and quickly fell in love with his new lifestyle.

John Deer, 41, tells his miraculous story of survival after he swam 17km to shore after falling off his yacht near Panama

“It’s a cheap way of life, it’s a huge attraction,” he said.

‘I don’t want to get old and look back and say ‘oh, I worked a lot’. Life for life.

‘I travel free with the wind, I eat free, fish from the sea. I have solar panels so I have free electricity.

‘It’s not only my home, but also my transportation. That’s good.’

After Europe, Mr Deer headed to the west coast of Africa then embarked on a journey across the Atlantic Ocean, intending to reach Panama then glide south back to Australia.

But last month as he approached Panama, trouble struck.

While tossing a line to catch fish for dinner on June 8, his leg slipped and he fell – strapless and without a life jacket – from his yacht into the sea, in an area known to locals as Shark Point.

‘I don’t want to believe it. I thought am I dreaming? Is this real?’ he says.

‘I can see my boat. I’m pretty sure it’s real. I was like, “I’m dead, for sure.

‘This is the day I die.’

Moments before the fall, the Deer had checked his GPS and knew he was 17km from the mainland.

Now, treading water with nothing but shorts and a shirt on his back, he believed there was no chance he would make it back to shore.

After Europe, the Deer head to the west coast of Africa then embark on a journey across the Atlantic Ocean, intending to reach Panama (pictured on the map) then glide south back to Australia

Mr Deer was on the voyage of a lifetime – sailing alone around the world – when he fell from his boat, Julieta (pictured)

Determined to fight for his life, he began swimming as the sun went down and into the night, using the moon’s direction as a navigational guide.

But when the water darkens, he finds himself fighting the dangers that lurk beneath him.

‘Something started to bite. There was pure terror – panic,’ he said.

‘I thought it was a straight shark.’

Mr. Deer started screaming and punching the water to scare whatever was in there.

But after realizing the scary episode had exhausted him, he focused his mind on conserving energy and went back to swimming, using the breath stroke until he got tired then switching to the backstroke.

During that perilous journey, he kept his mind busy by counting his strokes to keep track of how far he needed to go.

Ten hours later, he finally made it to the shoreline and felt gravity again as he climbed the rocks out of the water.

But the battle isn’t over yet. As the sun rose, he realized that the land behind him was an impenetrable forest and he needed to find another way to return to civilization.

Finally he saw a breech boat over the horizon and he screamed as it approached.

‘I waved my heart and shouted Cooee!’ he says.

‘[But] they saw me and waved back and kept walking. I was like, “No, no, stop!”

His boat (pictured) was found crushed along rocks off the coast of Panama after being swept away

After hours of grueling waiting, Mr. Deer’s attempt to lower the next boat was successful and he was rescued from the rocks.

‘I cried,’ he said.

‘They are really confused. [Thinking] who is the stranger on this rock. I’m shirtless, barefoot. Just trying to get a ride back.

“I think they saw the desperation in my eyes.”

The crew took him back to Panama City where he spent more than a week trying to get a passport after losing all his belongings at sea.

His yacht was later found crushed in the rocks along the shoreline, smashed to pieces.

Now, back in Australia, Mr Deer believes he has the tide – and luck – on his side.

Despite his name, he had learned that there were no sharks in Shark Bay.

’17km/h for ten hours is like 1.7km/h. I’m not an Olympic swimmer. I’m usually a pretty unworthy guy. I’m 100 per cent definitely have the flow with me,’ he said.

‘I don’t believe in religious gods… But I pray to the universe. I put some energy out there. But even then I thought, after that, it was luck.

‘I don’t know if it’s fate. I also don’t know if I believe in fate, but… yeah.

‘I am here.’

#Australian #story #John #Deer #surviving #stranded #17km #offshore #Panama