Rinca Island Divers Fight Komodo
In June 2008, five European scuba divers were swept away by powerful currents during a dive off Tatawa Island in Indonesia and spent about 12 hours drifting 20 miles through shark-infested waters before they finally reached remote Rinca Island. Exhausted, dehydrated, and with no real supplies, they tied their dive vests together to conserve energy, scraped mussels off the rocks for food, and tried to rest on the beach.
A giant Komodo dragon then approached them on the sand, forcing the divers to pelt it with rocks, pieces of wood, and even weight belts until it backed off. After two days stranded on the island, a search boat finally spotted them waving from the shore and took them to Flores Island for medical treatment. They were battered and dehydrated but lived to tell their tale.