Jeremy Wade and his “River Monsters” crew came upon something far more shocking than a big fish on one of their recent expeditions — a castaway near death.
The Animal Planet show was filming near a remote group of islands 60 miles off the coast of Australia, trying to track down a Queensland grouper, when their boat encountered a fisherman on an uninhabited island. As seen in the episode that aired last week (Thursdays at 10 p.m.), the man had become separated from his boat two days prior and was disoriented after being stranded without water or shelter in the 110-degree heat.
“He had said his last prayer,” Stephen Shearman, the director of the episode, told InsideEdition.com. “He was prepared to die and meet his maker.”
The director said the crew quickly gave the man, named Tremine, water and hydration pills and brought him back to their lodge to receive medical attention. Once he got re-hydrated, he made a quick recovery and was well enough to go home by the next day.
While the episode was filmed last November, Shearman says the “River Monsters” crew has stayed in touch with Tremine and learned that after his brush with death, he made an unusual life change — he resolved to take up smoking again.
“He’s given up smoking, but he’s promised God he’s going to start smoking again,” Shearman told InsideEdition.com, laughing. “If he had a lighter, he’d be able to cook, and he’d have a fire.”