'River Monsters' Crew Saves Real-Life Castaway on Remote Australian Island
The crew had been joking about the movie "Cast Away" when they saw the man.
— -- While filming on a remote island in Australia, the host and crew of Animal Planet’s “River Monsters” came upon a man who had been stranded there, likely saving his life.
Jeremy Wade, the show’s host, described the discovery to ABC News, saying: “We saw this blue and white plastic cooler box sitting on some rocks, which we thought was a bit strange. And somebody made the joke maybe we were going to see Tom Hanks suddenly appear and next thing we knew there was a guy looking sort of wild and ragged staggering down the beach towards us.”
(Hanks famously starred in the hit film, “Cast Away,” about a man who is marooned for years on a deserted island.)
The crew was filming its search for the "giant grouper" fish when the man was spotted on Barranyi North Island. The video shows the man -- known only as Tremine -- appearing weak and disoriented.
“It wasn't very easy to hear what he was saying -- it was basically ‘water, water’ ... he wanted us to give him some water,” Wade said.
Tremine was stranded for two days after losing track of his boat while digging for oysters. He quickly became dehydrated in the 110-degree heat.
“I think he had pretty much given up hope,” Wade said. “He said ‘Well, I was praying a lot.’”
After spending a few nights re-hydrating with the show’s crew, Tremine was strong enough to go home.
The film crew had never stumbled upon a castaway before, Wade said, adding: “It's very likely [Tremine] wouldn't have seen anyone else if we hadn't just chanced along.”
The eighth season of “River Monsters” premiered this month. The program airs Thursdays on Animal Planet.