But as he watched his boat drift into the distance, the 41-year-old realized he had a choice: wait for the waves to finally pull him in or try to swim 17 kilometers to shore. “I tread water for a moment and I’m like, ‘Right, I’m going to die,’” he told 60Minutes. “Then I thought, ‘Am I going to float and wait for this lung full of water?’ I might as well start swimming.” ‘So I started swimming.’ Three years ago, Mr Deer left his home in Melbourne to embark on the voyage of a lifetime – a solo sailing adventure around the world. He bought a used yacht, called Julieta, in the Greek islands and began his journey – cruising the Mediterranean, visiting Albania, Italy and then island hopping around Spain. Despite having no previous sailing experience, he “jumped in” and quickly fell in love with his new lifestyle.
John Deer, 41, has told his miraculous story of survival after he swam 17km to shore after falling from his yacht near Panama “It was a cheap lifestyle, that was a huge part of the appeal,” he said. “I didn’t want to get old and look back and say, ‘oh, I worked a lot.’ Life is for living. “I traveled for free on the wind, I ate for free, fishing from the ocean. I had solar panels so I had free electricity. “It was not only my home, but also my transportation. It was perfect.’ After Europe, Mr. Deer headed for the west coast of Africa and then began the journey across the Atlantic Ocean, with the intention of reaching Panama and then gliding south back to Australia. But last month as it approached Panama, problems arose. While casting a line to catch fish for dinner on June 8, his foot slipped and he fell – untethered and without a life jacket – from his yacht into the sea, in an area known locally as Shark Point. “I didn’t want to believe it. I thought I was dreaming? It’s real?’ he said. “I can see my boat. I’m pretty sure it’s real. I say, “I’m dead, sure. “This is the day I die.” Moments before the fall, Mr. Deer had checked his GPS and knew he was 17 kilometers from land. Now, treading water with nothing but his shorts and the shirt on his back, he thought there was no way he could make it back to shore. After Europe, Mr. Deer headed to the west coast of Africa and then began the journey across the Atlantic Ocean, intending to reach Panama (pictured on map) and then slide south back to Australia Mr Deer was on a trip of a lifetime – solo sailing around the world – when he fell from his boat, Julieta (pictured) Determined to fight for his life, he began to swim until sunset and into the night, using the direction of the moon as a navigational guide. But as the water turned dark, he found himself struggling with the dangers lurking below. “Something started to bite. There was pure terror – panic,” he said. “I thought it was a shark right away.” Mr. Derr began to scream and kick the water in an attempt to scare off whatever was in the distance. But after realizing that the scary episode had worn him down, he made up his mind to conserve his energy and returned to swimming, using breathing strokes until he was exhausted, then switching to the backstroke. During the perilous journey, he kept his mind busy counting his strokes to keep track of how far he had to go. Ten hours later, he finally made it to the shoreline and felt gravity take hold again as he pulled rocks out of the water. But his battle was not over yet. As the sun rose, he realized that the land behind him was an impenetrable jungle and he would have to find another way back to civilization.
Finally he saw a boat crossing the horizon and called out as it approached. “I shook my heart and shouted Cooee!” he said. ‘[But] they saw me and waved back and continued. I say, “No, no, stop!” His boat (pictured) was found wrecked along rocks off the coast of Panama after drifting After an exhausting hour of waiting, Mr Deer’s efforts to flag down the next ship succeeded and he was rescued from the rocks. “I burst into tears,” she said. “They were completely confused. [Thinking] who is that stranger on the rocks. I was topless, barefoot. Just trying to get back. “I think they saw that desperation in my eyes.” The crew took him back to Panama City where he spent more than a week trying to get a passport after losing all his belongings at sea. His yacht was later discovered wrecked on rocks along the shoreline, smashed to pieces. Now, back in Australia, Mr Deer believes he has had the tide – and luck – on his side. Despite its name, he has since learned that there are no sharks in Shark Bay.
“17kph ​​for ten hours is like 1.7kph. I’m not an Olympic swimmer. I’m generally a pretty unfit guy. I 100 percent must have had electricity with me,” he said. “I don’t believe in the religious god… But I prayed to the universe. I’m putting some energy out there. But even then I think, afterwards, it was luck. “I don’t know if this is destiny. I don’t know if I believe in destiny either but…yeah. ‘Here I am.’