You won't believe the treasure this NSW swimmer uncovered in the ocean
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Here’s a heart-warming story to brighten up anyone’s day!
While taking a leisurely dip in the water on Sunday, one lucky swimmer made an unbelievable discovery that amazingly made its way back to its rightful owner.
The ocean is a wonderful place, isn’t it? Unique aquatic life and marine ecosystems just lurking beneath the surface make it an appealing place for people looking to find adventure.
But a swimmer had an unlikely adventure after swimming at Murrays Beach in Jervis Bay recently.
You see, the swimmer, Scott Gutterson, was in the middle of a dive when he noticed something glistening on the water's surface. It was a bottle that was covered in mussel shells – not too special in its own right, except for what it was hiding.
Inside was a note written by a little girl named Vicky who wrote that her dad was in the navy and had launched the ‘treasure’ near Newcastle, New South Wales on December 4, 2020.
The bottle spent 808 days at sea and travelled a minimum of 300 kilometres (in a straight line) and managed to arrive at Jervis Bay.
‘When I looked, I saw it had a note in it, so I was very surprised,’ he told reporters.
He added: ‘I got pretty excited and wanted to open it straight away, but I wanted to make it a surprise for my wife and kids, so I waited about eight hours and had a bit of a guessing game with them about where it was from.’
According to Scott, the letter was written by a young girl named Vicky from Canberra. She was only 10 years old back on December 4, 2020, when she sent the note out to sea near Newcastle.
Now a 13-year-old girl, Vicky and Scott managed to get in contact with each other. Vicky then explained that her father is in the Australian Navy.
‘It was the cutest little message,’ Scott shared before adding that the message had Vicky’s dad’s mobile number on it.
‘So, I called him and said, “You’re not going to believe it, but I’ve actually got Vicky’s note in my hand.” He's still in the navy and I'm ex-navy, so it's an incredible connection,’ he explained.
The note had a couple of words blurred out likely due to natural causes after being folded several times, but still had visible details about Vicky, including when she sent the letter, her dad’s birthday (which was the day before she sent the letter), and her birthday, which is September 30, 2010. She also said she would like it if the sender wrote back to her.
Vicky’s father, Ted, called Scott after picking up his daughter from a dance lesson.
‘I said, “Hello, Vicky my name is Scott. I've actually got the message that you put in a bottle three years ago” and she was absolutely blown away,’ Scott recalled.
Adding to the mysterious connection, Ted’s parents and Scott lived in the same South Coast New South Wales town of Gerringong.
Ted now plans to bring Vicky down to Gerringong during the Easter holidays to meet the man who found her note and receive a note in return.
‘I’m really looking forward to meeting Vicky and her dad,’ Scott shared.
As an avid ocean swimmer, Scott is used to pulling pieces of rubbish out of the sea. ‘The ocean always gives me incredible surprises but this was next level that I will not forget,’ he claimed.
Scott went on to say that it would be ‘fantastic’ if he finds another treasure like this. However, he thinks that this is only a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
‘And I’m really happy to have experienced it,’ he explained to reporters.
Social media users were also shocked the letter was found and now on the way back to Vicky.
‘What an awesome set of circumstances that have led to your find. Incredible that there is a common connection – the ocean and the navy,’ one stated.
‘How cool is that! Very exciting for Vicky,’ another declared.
Have you ever experienced or heard a story similar to this? Share it in the comments below!
While taking a leisurely dip in the water on Sunday, one lucky swimmer made an unbelievable discovery that amazingly made its way back to its rightful owner.
The ocean is a wonderful place, isn’t it? Unique aquatic life and marine ecosystems just lurking beneath the surface make it an appealing place for people looking to find adventure.
But a swimmer had an unlikely adventure after swimming at Murrays Beach in Jervis Bay recently.
You see, the swimmer, Scott Gutterson, was in the middle of a dive when he noticed something glistening on the water's surface. It was a bottle that was covered in mussel shells – not too special in its own right, except for what it was hiding.
The swimmer found a floating bottle while swimming in the ocean. Credit: Facebook
Inside was a note written by a little girl named Vicky who wrote that her dad was in the navy and had launched the ‘treasure’ near Newcastle, New South Wales on December 4, 2020.
The bottle spent 808 days at sea and travelled a minimum of 300 kilometres (in a straight line) and managed to arrive at Jervis Bay.
‘When I looked, I saw it had a note in it, so I was very surprised,’ he told reporters.
He added: ‘I got pretty excited and wanted to open it straight away, but I wanted to make it a surprise for my wife and kids, so I waited about eight hours and had a bit of a guessing game with them about where it was from.’
According to Scott, the letter was written by a young girl named Vicky from Canberra. She was only 10 years old back on December 4, 2020, when she sent the note out to sea near Newcastle.
Now a 13-year-old girl, Vicky and Scott managed to get in contact with each other. Vicky then explained that her father is in the Australian Navy.
‘It was the cutest little message,’ Scott shared before adding that the message had Vicky’s dad’s mobile number on it.
‘So, I called him and said, “You’re not going to believe it, but I’ve actually got Vicky’s note in my hand.” He's still in the navy and I'm ex-navy, so it's an incredible connection,’ he explained.
This is the note that was in the bottle. Credit: Facebook
The note had a couple of words blurred out likely due to natural causes after being folded several times, but still had visible details about Vicky, including when she sent the letter, her dad’s birthday (which was the day before she sent the letter), and her birthday, which is September 30, 2010. She also said she would like it if the sender wrote back to her.
Vicky’s father, Ted, called Scott after picking up his daughter from a dance lesson.
‘I said, “Hello, Vicky my name is Scott. I've actually got the message that you put in a bottle three years ago” and she was absolutely blown away,’ Scott recalled.
Adding to the mysterious connection, Ted’s parents and Scott lived in the same South Coast New South Wales town of Gerringong.
Ted now plans to bring Vicky down to Gerringong during the Easter holidays to meet the man who found her note and receive a note in return.
‘I’m really looking forward to meeting Vicky and her dad,’ Scott shared.
As an avid ocean swimmer, Scott is used to pulling pieces of rubbish out of the sea. ‘The ocean always gives me incredible surprises but this was next level that I will not forget,’ he claimed.
Scott went on to say that it would be ‘fantastic’ if he finds another treasure like this. However, he thinks that this is only a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
‘And I’m really happy to have experienced it,’ he explained to reporters.
Social media users were also shocked the letter was found and now on the way back to Vicky.
‘What an awesome set of circumstances that have led to your find. Incredible that there is a common connection – the ocean and the navy,’ one stated.
‘How cool is that! Very exciting for Vicky,’ another declared.
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