Tragedy at South West Rocks

A FISHING trip ended in tragedy on Wednesday after a man died when his boat overturned on the Macleay River bar at South West Rocks. 

The man was fishing with another man - both thought to be aged in their 60s.

Marine Rescue NSW Mid North Coast regional controller John Murray said the men were returning from an early morning fishing trip when they encountered a racing runout tide that combined to create severe conditions on the bar.

“Another boat in the vicinity saw the men’s boat overturned but couldn’t stop as they had to keep going to get through the conditions to get over the bar,” he said. “They couldn’t see any survivors in the water but they called the Marine Rescue Trial Bay radio base to raise the alarm at about noon.”

The rescue vessels, Trial Bay 30, skippered by Jon Cragg and crew members Rob Hose and Helen Fedoroff, as well as the rescue water craft Trial Bay 11, operated by Josh Woodhead, were immediately deployed.

Mr Murray said the man’s body was recovered and the other man was retrieved shortly after.

A comprehensive search then continued until it was determined that no other people remained in the water. The second man was taken to hospital and was released yesterday without injury, Mr Murray said.

Both boaters had done the right thing by wearing life jackets, which is a requirement when crossing a bar.

“The Macleay River bar can be unpredictable and as we know pretty dangerous,” Mr Murray told the Argus.

“The tide was going out which forces waves to be quite large. There were fairly choppy and rough conditions at the time and as a result of that the men were collected by the bigger waves.”

Mr Murray said it hasn’t been confirmed yet whether the men were local residents or visitors. “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the deceased man, who was simply out for a day’s boating,” he said.

“Our boat crew, RWC operator and radio operator Donna Polkinghorne, who provided valuable communications coordination, are to be commended for their swift and professional response to this serious emergency.”

Critical incident support will be provided to the Trial Bay members, Mr Murray said. Police divers were conducting a search at the bar yesterday for the capsized boat, a 6.8 metre runabout, which is believed to have sunk.

Mr Murray said they went back after the rescue to search for the boat but were unsuccessful. It is the second boating accident to occur at the crossing in the past week after another boat carrying four tourists overturned on Friday.

The group were coming back through the crossing when a wave broke over the back of the boat, causing the motor to cavitate. Another wave soon caught up to them and rolled the boat over.

The group were picked up by another fishing boat and escaped without injury. Marine Rescue also located the group’s vessel, a 6 metre seafarer, and towed it back to shore.

Chariman of the Macleay River District Fisherman’s Co-operative Limited, Lawrie McEnally, a member of the peak body in NSW for boating safety, the Maritime Advisory Council, has crossed the bar countless times and said it came down to a matter of timing.

“When the seas are big you have to get it right. About 20 other boats went out and came back in okay. Unfortunately it seems like they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time,” he said.

Mr McEnally said he believed the compulsory rule of wearing a life jacket when crossing a coastal bar had significantly improved safety at crossings.

“While one man unfortunately lost his life this week, the vast majority of fishermen abide by this and I really do believe it has reduced the number of deaths at crossings.”

THE TRAGIC death of a fisherman at the mouth of the Macleay River bar at South West Rocks this week is a timely reminder of the danger our oceans and rivers can pose.

Marine Rescue NSW Mid North Coast regional controller John Murray said the North Coast was bracing for the effects of Cyclone Winston which hit Fiji at the weekend.

“Large swells of up to three to four metres are predicted so we want people to be cautious about bar crossings and rock fishing as they will be extremely dangerous,” he said. “We always advise that if people are going out please wear a life jacket and to log on and log off with Marine Rescue. “If you don’t then it can make it hard for us to know where you are.”