Boaters Jennifer Appel and Tasha Fuiava made headlines after they were lost at sea with their two dogs for five months. Rescued in late October by a navy vessel, there have now been questions raised about their time in the Pacific Ocean.

After allegedly enduring massive storms and shark attacks, the women’s experiences are being scrutinized by boaters across the globe. The level of attention has even led to Appel’s family members requesting she not come back to Texas in order to avoid a media frenzy.

In an interview with Today Show’s Matt Lauer, the host questioned the boaters about multiple details of their trip, including a call from the Coast Guard that was reported to have gone through to the Sea Nymph, which was the name of the women’s sailboat. However, their GPS shows they were nowhere near Tahiti, the location of the call. They also say they did not talk to the Coast Guard on that day and don’t know what boat they contact or who answered.

Along with this, experts have said that sharks would not have banged against their boat as Appel described. Others are also wondering why the women didn’t use their distress button or EPIRB.

While these questions persist, the women themselves have survived the ordeal and even expressed interest in going back, with Fuiava saying “It is beautiful out there. You don’t smell the city life. The sky doesn’t get blocked out by the lights.” Though they specified that they would come better prepared next time.

With the sheer amount of bad press and a tabloid releasing racy photos of Appel, their ordeal on land rivals the one they had on the water. Appeal even stated after being rescued that “We are incredibly appreciative of the navy…but, if I had it to do again, I would just keep going.”

Their boat continues to drift at sea after the boaters were rescued. This was the only home Appel had and she plans to find it or start work on a new one soon.