British diver saved from shark-infested waters after rescuers gave up hope

Police said late last night that Richard Neely, 38, and Allison Dalton, 40 had been found by searching aircraft off the coast of Queensland, Australia.

They were winched to a helicopter and taken to a holiday island three hours after sunrise in Australia - midnight in Britain.

Allison Dalton and Richard Neely were rescued from shark-infested waters

A local official credited their survival to their experience and ability to remain calm.

"They strapped themselves together using their weight belts, they conserved energy, stayed as a pair and awaited rescue," said Queensland state police Superintendent Shane Chelepy.

Local boat operators in the Whitsunday Passage area had earlier expressed doubts the pair would have been able to survive the night in waters where dangerous sharks prowl.

The two had set out on a diving trip on the famous Great Barrier Reef, but failed to resurface with a group of other divers.

The couple spent the night huddled together in shark-infested water

The crew of their dive boat, the Pacific Star, began a search but when they could not be found all emergency services were alerted.

Three aircraft, including a specialised search and rescue plane with infra-red equipment searched through the night for the pair.

The search was expanded at first light in Australia - late Friday night UK time - with seven helicopters and three fixed wing aircraft.

Several divers have drowned or disappeared in recent years on the Great Barrier Reef.
The strange disappearance of an American couple, Tom and Eileen Lonergan, resulted in a box office-hit movie, Open Water.