'SOS' in sand leads to rescue

Castaways stuck on rocky island for 9 hours

QUEENSLAND, Australia – Stranded on a rocky island with no food, water, phones or radios, five castaways used their creativity to catch the attention of Australian rescuers.

The group was decided to drop anchor next to the rocky island to explore it and snorkel around it. While the group was snorkeling, their boat's anchor broke and the boat drifted away.

"We had drinks and food and phones and radios all on the boat drifting away," said Craig Gilberd, one of the castaways.

Gilberd told Network Ten in Australia his group told their families when to expect them to be back. They believed rescuers would eventually be sent out for them, so they decided to use an old-fashioned idea.

The group swam to a nearby sandbar and created a large "SOS" sign, hoping the rescuers would notice it.

"We did see them initially on the rock and then we saw the SOS and it just confirmed to us that they were the people we were looking for," said Damian Kross, a rescue helicopter crewman.

The castaways were stuck on the island for about nine hours before the Royal Automobile Club of Queensland Rescue team hovered over them and brought them back to shore.


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