Two Perth brothers left stranded in the ocean by their diving charter last month have spoken to ABC’s Stateline, describing how they thought they were going to die.
Brothers Ian Kensington and Ryan Chaudhry were diving with a group about four kilometres off the coast between Hillarys and Rottnest Island on March 2.
Brothers Ian Kensington and Ryan Chaudhry.Credit: Stateline
They said they were 35 minutes into a 40-minute dive when they heard their boat, being operated by Perth Diving Academy, drive away.
By the time they surfaced, it was in the distance, heading back towards Hillarys.
“I thought we were going to die, I thought we were completely stuffed,” Chaundhry said.
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“I said, I think these f–kers are leaving us in the water and I just saw the absolute panic go on my brother’s face.
“I was saying maybe we should swim, try and go for shore, but we were very far out.”
Kensington said the pair ditched their weights, inflated their life jackets and activated their shark shield.
“I said to Ryan, don’t look down because underneath us was at least, I would say a couple of sharks, not large ones, you’re talking about maybe one to three metres, give or take,” he told Stateline.
The pair were rescued around 30 minutes later by a passing Rottnest Fast Ferry.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority is investigating the incident and the divers are considering legal action against the diving company, claiming heat counts and roll-call processes were not followed.
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