Couple swim in shark-infested waters for hours after boat capsized

A family's boating trip turned into a nightmare when their 6.1-metre fishing boat capsized. Ryan Oostryck and his girlfriend, Galina, survived the accident. The couple swam in shark-infested waters and trekked harsh terrain leaving behind the bodies of Ryan's parents, Bob and Jan Oostryck. A search for the elderly couple ended on Wednesday, when their bodies and the boat were recovered.

The family had been sailing near Coral Bay, 1,200km northwest of Perth, Australia on Tuesday. A sudden clash of waves upturned the fishing boat, tossing the family into the waters at around 2 pm. Ryan and his partner were able to swim to the surface soon after the vessel capsized. However, the elderly couple in their 70s were stuck under the boat.

By the time Ryan managed to find his parents, they were unresponsive. The younger couple spent almost half an hour trying to resuscitate Bob and Jan. Even though the boat had emergency supplies, the survivors were unable to reach them underwater.

The survivors decided to swim back to shore and look for help instead of remaining stranded. Leaving the vessel and his parents' bodies behind at North Passage near Mauds Landing, Ryan and his girlfriend started swimming to shore.

The survivors swam 3 kilometres in shark-infested waters to reach the coastline. After the four-hour-long swim, they had to undertake a long trek to find help. They walked around 6 kilometres through Western Australia's remote Gascoyne region. The couple finally found a group of campers who drove them into Coral Bay. At around 8:35 pm local time, the incident was finally reported.

A search for the boat and the elderly couple was launched on Tuesday night. According to News.com.au, the search team found the vessel and the victims at around 8 am, on Wednesday.

The incident highlighted the lack of emergency services in the area. According to Perth Now, the area lacks permanent police presence. Shire of Carnarvon president Eddie Smith pointed out that even the ambulance officers in the area are volunteers. Member of Parliament Vince Catania stated that the state government should invest in housing to make Coral Bay a gazetted town allowing people to live and work there.