Rescued Aussie couple becomes face of Samsung smartphone campaign
Dramatic late-night rescue on the Great Barrier Reef becomes the focus of a Samsung public relations pushAn Australian couple rescued from their capsized catamaran on the Great Barrier Reef earlier this year has become the new face of a global smartphone giant’s latest advertising campaign.
The reason? They used a waterproof Samsung mobile phone to dial up rescuers in Cairns after their anchor rode was caught up on the boat’s propeller, sinking it before the pair could even reach their EPIRB or put on lifejackets.
The couple, identified as only as “Jessica” and “Lindsay”, ended up in the water clinging to an anchor float about at Arlington Reef, about 38km north-east of Cairns, just before 10pm on June 13.
According to Samsung, a quick-thinking Jessica grabbed her mobile phone as the boat was sinking, and used it to contact rescue services.
“After having spoken with the local chief of police, she shared screenshots of their location with the rescue team using the Galaxy S10’s GPS and Google Maps functions,” it said.
“This information then helped guide the helicopter and boat emergency teams dispatched to find them.
“Able to maintain contact with the authorities as they patrolled the ocean to find them, Jessica was also able to draw the attention of the rescue boat upon its arrival thanks to her Galaxy S10’s flashlight – the couple had spent several hours in the water and night had since fallen.”
'Small light'
Cairns Water Police, dispatched to rescue the couple, said just after 11pm they came across a “small light revealing the exhausted couple in the water with the woman holding her mobile phone in the air using it as a torch to attract attention”.
According to police, the couple had moored their 5.2-metre fibreglass catamaran on the outer reef for the night before everything went wrong.
“After conditions became rough the decision was made to move to a calmer spot. In the process of lifting the anchor the stern turned side-on into the waves, the anchor rope then became caught around the outboard motor causing the boat to immediately capsize,” a report on the incident said.
“The quick decision to grab the mobile phone was lifesaving as it ultimately alerted rescuers and led them to their location.”
Samsung said the experience was “a sobering reminder about the importance of water safety and conduct”.
It said Jessica’s Galaxy S10 was “still functioning as normal”.
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