SYDNEY, May 24: Two divers survived more than 20 hours in shark-infested waters in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef area before being found, rescuers said on Saturday.

Police said a British man and an American woman were diving off the Whitsunday Islands on Friday afternoon when they drifted away from their boat.

A search began on Friday night and a helicopter spotted the pair on Saturday morning, about 13km from their original dive site. They were winched to safety and taken to a local hospital.

Rescuers said the 38-year-old man and 40-year-old woman were lucky to be alive.

“If I was them I’d be getting out the 30 million dollar lotto ticket tonight... they were very lucky people,” spokesman for the rescue team Philip Dowler said.—AFP