Jeremy Wade to the rescue!

One of the world’s most famous anglers helped save the life of a fellow fisherman who was stranded on a remote island and was apparently ‘preparing to die’.

The incredible story unfolded during filming of the next series of River Monsters with Jeremy Wade around a group of uninhabited islands off the coast of Australia’s Northern Territory. There the crew found a ‘castaway’ who’d been without water or food for almost three whole days.

“We were filming for an episode of Series 8 called ‘Death Down Under’ and headed to the opposite end of the island because the waters where we’d originally planned to be were far too choppy,” said episode director Stephen Shearman.

“We saw this blue cooler box on a rock and the team joked that Tom Hanks might pop out of nowhere like in the film ‘Castaway’. Then this guy came running out of a cave and on to the shore, screaming for help and water. He was in a very bad way.”

Jeremy and the crew rushed to the aid of the man, called Tremine, and gave him water and hydration pills following a harrowing ordeal that saw the experienced hobby fisherman from Borroloola NT go without supplies for 60 hours.

The human body can survive only 72 hours without water, and this, coupled with blistering temperatures averaging 110ºF at Barranyi North Island – 60 miles from the nearest township – meant that the River Monsters crew were the roofer’s only chance of survival.

As he recovered in one of the team’s boats he told his rescuers that he’d already said his final prayer and was ‘preparing to die’.

“Tremine had left his boat and after a few hours digging for oysters took a wrong turn, got beaten by the sun and spent the night on the beach,” Stephen continued.

“It was just lucky that we decided to film somewhere else, otherwise we would have never found him. Myself, Jeremy and all the crew have been truly humbled by the experience.To save someone’s life under such incredible circumstances is something that none of us will forget.”

Tremine stayed with the River Monsters team overnight at a lodge that they used between filming, and the following day he was fit enough to return home.

- Series 7 of River Monsters with Jeremy Wade is currently showing on ITV1.