Man recovers safe from ocean off Shark Bay, finds only expired beef jerky

People reported that Quoin Sellenger recovered a small safe from the Indian Ocean off the coast of Shark Bay in Western Australia last week.

A friend first spotted the box while diving on a reef between Denham and Eagle Bluff, and Sellenger’s 13-year-old daughter, Belle, helped retrieve it by jet ski. Sellenger posted on a local Facebook page on Jan. 3 seeking the owner, and after failing to find anyone who claimed it he and a friend, Brad, used an angle grinder to cut a hole in the back of the safe. They said the interior smelled strongly and contained a couple of hinges and a 30 g packet labeled the world’s hottest beef jerky, which appeared to have expired four years earlier; Sellenger said he had hoped for something more valuable.

Sellenger has handed the safe over to the Western Australia Police Force and said he believes someone placed it on the reef with the intention of it being found. WA Police did not immediately respond when contacted for additional information, and the owner of the safe remains unknown.

Key Topics

World, Quoin Sellenger, Shark Bay, Western Australia, Indian Ocean, Denham