Divers deny 'fake' claims

Updated 19.57 Tue May 27 2008

A couple rescued from shark-infested seas have dismissed claims they planned the ordeal as "preposterous".

Richard Neely, 38, and his American girlfriend Allyson Dalton, 40, survived 19 hours floating off the Great Barrier Reef after becoming separated from their scuba-diving group.

"It's preposterous for anybody to suggest that we planned this on purpose" - Richard Neely

The couple then sold their story for a reported £500,000.

Reports questioned why the couple took a water bottle on the dive and wore full-length thick wetsuits with hoods in the tropical waters.

It was also reported that Mr Neely told police the couple deliberately left the lagoon where the divers were supposed to remain.

But the couple slammed as "completely untrue" any suggestion they became stranded on purpose.

Mr Neely said: "To have any doubt about our story - it's a shame that people do. It's preposterous for anybody to suggest that we planned this on purpose.

"I'm sure that most decent people in the whole world realise that is completely untrue."

They criticised the operators of their boat for leaving them behind.

Ms Dalton said: "The heart of the matter is we did not flout any safety rules or regulations.

"We followed every safety procedure that was expected of us. We discussed with the boat crew what our plan was.

"It is their responsibility as boat operators to check we were back on the boat. If they had done, they would have realised immediately we were not back on the boat."

The boat's operator, OzSail, said it believed the crew did everything "by the book".