Barrier Reef Divers Rescued After 20 Hours Stranded in Ocean

Two scuba divers who went missing off the Great Barrier Reef in Australia have been found alive after spending more than 20 hours stranded in the ocean during a diving expedition.

It is understood that the pair, a 38-year-old British man and a 40-year-old American woman, resurfaced after diving on a reef on Friday afternoon and found themselves 200 meters from their chartered dive boat.

An air search was launched after they failed to rejoin the diving boat at the scheduled time. Three aircraft, including a specialized search plane with infrared night vision were used in the search throughout Friday evening.

At first light the search was then expanded with seven helicopters and three more planes.

The divers, who have not yet been identified, were spotted floating nine miles from where they had been diving near the Whitsunday Islands off the east coast of Australia.

They were winched onto a helicopter and flown to a hospital in Queensland.According to a report in the Brisbane Times, after an initial medical assessment the pair were flown to Townsville where they were spending the night in hospital under observation for mild hypothermia.

Rather than fight against the strong current, it is understood the pair made a decision to remain in place until they could be rescued.

Shane Chelepy, Queensland state police superintendent, put their survival down to their ability to remain calm.

"They strapped themselves together using their weight belts, they conserved energy, stayed as a pair and awaited rescue."