Revealed: The amazing pictures lost at sea capture divers' miracle survival

By Neil Keene

They are the amazing photos Sydney scuba diver Peter Trayhurn thought he would never see again. 

Taken in 2006, they show Mr Trayhurn and diving mate Geoff Tosio lost at sea, stranded 8km off the NSW Mid-North Coast after their dive boat's anchor line snapped.

Four years later the long-lost camera used to take the photos has turned up on a beach, still in its waterproof housing and with the memory card - and subsequent images - intact.

The remarkable story began on December 23, 2006, when the pair launched from a boat off the coast of Wooli to dive at an isolated underwater site known as Pimpernel Rock.

Rising to the surface after the dive, Mr Trayhurn discovered the boat's anchor line had snapped, leaving them alone and stranded with no help in sight.

The two spent more than four hours clinging together, caught in a current and fearing they would not be found.

"I thought 'This is a pretty interesting experience, I should take a few photos'," Mr Trayhurn said yesterday.

Despite the rough seas, they were spotted by a tanker, plucked from the water by a police launch and returned to the apparent safety of their dive boat. But the drama didn't end there.

The boat capsized as they returned to port across the treacherous Wooli bar, tossing the pair into the ocean and putting their lives in jeopardy once again.

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