Two fishermen after recovering in hospital after an epic rescue mission saved them from a potentially fatal jellyfish sting.
The men were fishing off remote Dundee Beach, about 135km west of Darwin in the Northern Territory, on Tuesday when they suffered Irukandji stings.
The Irukandji jellyfish’s sting is known to be so severe it can deliver excruciating pain and in some cases death.
Emergency services tasked the CareFlight NT Rescue Helicopter to the ocean spot just before 2pm that day.
The men were on a vessel about 12 miles off the coast – about a 90 minute boat ride from the shore.
The helicopter’s on-board nurse winched down to the boat, assessed the men and decided both needed hospital care.
The nurse remained on board to care for the two patients while the chopper then repositioned to Dundee Beach.
With the assistance of a local fishing charter company, the flight doctor travelled by boat to rendezvous with the patients and nurse, getting the patients from the boat back to shore and into the chopper.
The chopper crew then flew the men Royal Darwin Hospital in a serious but stable condition.
CareFlight rescued more than 4000 patients across the 2022-23 financial year.