Diver speaks of her 26-hour battle for survival in shark-infested Pacific Ocean

A diver has spoken out about her 26-hour battle for survival in the shark-infested Pacific Ocean.

Melissa Armstrong travelled to the Soloman Islands in search of adventure but ended up stranded more than 15 miles from land after a dive went disastrously wrong.

The 35-year-old from Toronto, Canada, was filming a dormant volcano on the ocean bed when a storm broke out.
She swam to the surface to discover she and fellow diver Dave had been abandoned. Their boat had been pulled away by the strong current and crew were unable to hear their cries for help.

Like scenes from the eerie film Open Water, Melissa and Dave were stranded in the menacing sea.

Melissa said:  "I was still holding out hope the boat would appear but it didn't and I had to face reality."

Before long, a terrified Melissa and Dave came to the attention of a few unwanted visitors.

Melissa said: "Being in the water so long had made my skin really soft and friction had rubbed skin away from the bones leaving raw flesh on display. Blood was seeping into the water.  "I was so tired I started to think I was seeing things as a piece of grey plastic floated by on the surface of the water.

"As it got closer it came into focus, big and solid. This wasn't plastic, this was a shark, what I had been fearing since I boarded the boat more than 12 hours ago.

"I was submerged from the chin down and had no idea how many other sharks could be circling around my feet.

"The words more experienced divers had used to comfort me before the dive raced through my mind. 'The sharks are well fed out here. They won't bother divers, but if they do, use your camera as a weapon. Just shove it in the shark's mouth if you have to,' one had said."

Melissa and David clung together desperately trying to stay calm and still.

She said: "Sharks sense weakness and our blood in the water made David and me prime targets.

"Our hearts were pounding but we had to stay still. Somehow we succeeded and the shark sloped off calmly gliding through the ocean."

But that wasn't the end of their ordeal.  Suddenly a sharp shock jolted through Melissa's wrist, neck, arms and ankles. She looked down to find her body surrounded by thousands of tiny jellyfish.

She said: "My body was shaking hard but we had no choice but to swim through them getting stung countless times.

"We'd been drifting for four hours and I'd had enough so we began to kick, slowly, smoothly and steadily desperate not to draw attention to our bodies in the water. But it was too late.

"Suddenly David's body began jerking. A pack of barracuda was heading straight for us.

"They hunt in packs and have razor sharp teeth. If one had nibbled at us, they all would have followed suit. Just one bite and we'd be done.

"Blood in the water is a death wish. Just a few drops swirling about in the sea would have made us prime target for sharks.

"The barracuda circled our bodies gradually closing in. We stayed still and prayed they would leave us alone."

Eventually the barracuda sped off leaving Melissa drifting in the freezing water as night set in.

Melissa said: "I could barely breathe or talk and was so cold my body was shaking uncontrollably.

"For a split second, I considered asking David to push my head under the water. Then, out of nowhere, I saw a vision of my mum Barbara telling me not to give up. I knew she knew I was still alive.

" As the sun began to rise, I felt empowered. I turned to David and told him we had to swim no matter what the risk."

After 26 gruelling hours in the water Melissa had made it to within 150 metres of land.

They planned to body surf to the shore but jagged rocks made that impossible.

Melissa said: "As the waves smashed into the rocks and exploded into the air, I knew we wouldn't make it alive. "Our skin was so soft, the slightest graze from a rock would have sent blood pouring into the ocean. The shallow waters were prime fishing areas for predators.

"I turned my head looking for an alternative and there it was, a boat, our saviour."

A group of locals had refused to give up on Melissa and David and started their own search.

Melissa said: "David and I took the dive at 12.20pm. Exhausted but full of faith, we finally stepped foot on land at 2.30pm the following day after more than 26 hours surrounded by water. "That dive changed my life forever and I like to think it happened for a reason."

By Owen Williams, Jan 18 2008 © Copyright 2008 - Showbiz Spy