After being sworn in as a policeman in late May, Takai Teitoi, who comes from the tiny central Pacific island nation of Kiribati, decided to take the two hour journey back home in a wooden boat.

Along with his brother-in-law, the 41-year-old father-of-six set off. In the middle of the trip they stopped to do a little fishing, and then, as the hour began to get late, slept the night in their craft. Bad idea, as when they woke up the next morning, they had drifted out of sight of land and then discovered that they had run out of gas.

Dehydration began to set in, and Teitoi's brother-in-law succumbed to his thirst in early July. Rain came not long after that, keeping Teitoi alive for another two grueling months of boredom and harsh sun exposure.

Then, on Tuesday of last week, Teitoi was awoken from his daze by a bump on his boat. It was a six-foot shark, who swam away after making the contact. But that wasn't all. When Teitoi looked up he saw a fishing boat on the horizon.

"[The Shark] was guiding me to a fishing boat. I looked up and there was the stern of a ship and I could see crew with binoculars looking at me," Teitoi said of the ship that swooped in to rescue him.

Teitoi has vowed that the next time he needs to island hop he will take a plane, as you just can't keep depending on the friendliness of sharks for your welfare.

More From TheFW