A European explorer Guy Delage has been rescued in the Austral Islands in southern French Polynesia after his yacht sank off the island of Tubuai.
A local vessel was diverted to the area last week after a distress signal was detected and the 20 metre yacht was found half submerged with no one on board.
The 62 year old and his companion were later found exhausted on Tubuai which they had reached by motorised boat.
The incident follows the disappearance in June of the Swiss yachtsman Laurent Bourgnon who went missing on a diving trip in the Tuamotu archipelago.
The CEO of WWF France, Philippe Germa, went missing a week ago while diving in the same area.
The Rescue Coordination Centre has stressed the importance of owning the Cospas-Sarsat detector beacon sutiable for use in French Polynesia's expansive waters.
