A fisherman lost at sea without lights or communication has been rescued in a high-stakes, multi-agency operation – one of two jet ski emergencies within 24 hours off the Northern Rivers coast.
The National Emergency Coordination Centre in Canberra, Police, Marine Rescue Ballina volunteers, the Westpac helicopter and passing fishermen were all involved in the dramatic overnight operation that ended in the early hours of yesterday morning when the missing man was spotted by a passing trawler.
His day on the water began more than 12 hours earlier when he set out for a spot of fishing at Windarra Bank, a popular shoal nearly 20km off the coast of Pottsville.
After catching a few snapper, the man went to head home, only to find the jet ski wouldn’t start.
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As daylight faded and seas became rougher, he made a series of distress calls to his wife and friends seeking help, but his phone battery soon ran flat.
He had no lights, flares, radio or emergency beacon on board.
Marine Rescue Ballina received a call for assistance around 5:00pm and rescue vessel BA30, captained by Geoff Hutchinson, was deployed.
The vessel crossed the Ballina Bar minutes later and began the 47km journey north to the last known position.
“It was a very dark night with no moonlight, strong winds and rough conditions,” Captain Hutchinson said.
“We were extremely concerned for the rider’s safety, especially with no way to see or signal us.”
BA30 made contact with the man briefly at around 6:15pm. He said he could see the flashing lights of the rescue boat, but the call dropped out and attempts to reconnect failed. From that point on, no further communication could be made.
With the sun gone and seas building to two metres, BA30 and Ballina radio operators used drift modelling to estimate a new search area.
As concerns grew, the rescue was escalated to include the Westpac Rescue Helicopter, Marine Rescue Point Danger, and Tweed Water Police.
Found by Fishers, in the Nick of Time
By 8:00pm, a Queensland fishing trawler, Southern King, whose crew had overheard the marine radio traffic, reported a possible sighting of the stranded jet ski. BA30 diverted immediately and joined the trawler in a grid search.
An hour later, at approximately 9:00pm, the trawler miraculously spotted the jet ski a second time and called BA30 in to retrieve the stranded rider.
The man was brought safely aboard and his craft taken under tow for the slow 45km return to Ballina.
The operation concluded at 2:30am when the man and his jet ski were handed over to Tweed Water Police at Fishery Creek boat ramp.
The man later told Marine Rescue that he felt incredibly lucky to be found. He acknowledged the absence of emergency equipment and lighting was a serious mistake.
Second Jet ski Rescue in 24 Hours
Just four hours after completing the exhausting overnight rescue and before the rescue vessel BA30 even had time to refuel, it was called out again.
It was another jet ski with engine failure, but this time with two people aboard, anchored 2km northeast of Lennox Head.
That incident ended safely. Fortunately the pair were fully equipped with emergency equipment and the quarter tank of fuel left in BA 30 was enough to tow them back to Ballina.
A Timely Reminder
Geoff Hutchinson said that in his five years and more than 130 rescues, the Windarra Bank operation was one of the most stressful.
He thanked the crew of Southern King, Ballina radio officers Daryl and Alan, and BA30 crew members Dave and Steve for their efforts.
Marine Rescue Ballina is urging all jetski riders and recreational boaters to carry:
- A torch or other night-vision equipment
- A waterproof, fully charged mobile phone
- A radio or emergency beacon.
- Flares or other visual signalling devices
“It’s essential that people heading offshore are properly equipped,” Captain Hutchinson said.
“Conditions can change fast, and without the right gear, a minor breakdown can become a life-threatening situation.”
Thanks to Marine Rescue volunteers for pushing through to save this person
I had a similar situation at the Ballina FAD : battery failure on a Sea Doo after normal function all the days before. Luckily my Noco jump starter kit brought us home and the rescue boat turned back just out the bar. Several points for JetSki riders :
My ski (1.5 yrs old) had been sitting on the rack of the shop for months and the battery was down on purchase. (Failure rate goes up).
The ski doesn’t charge the battery even during long travel. The engine actually discharges it more than the alternator produces.
There are Motobat 36 Ah replacement options which double the 18 Ah of the stock unit without adding a second battery.
Since we bring 2 strong torches, phone charging options off a lithium jump starter kit.
THANK YOU TO THE WHOLE NSW MARINE RESCUE! Without you we wouldn’t be out there. Or we wouldn’t always come back!
Stefan thanks for that information that is great advice.
There is one more thing that could have helped us find him that does not require power, reflective tape on the Jet ski. Our spotlights would have reflected off that and even if it is a distance away it would attract attention. We had a few large Flying fish pass the spotlight beam and they stood out like a flash in amongst the white water.
A big fan of the Ballina Marine Rescue Volunteers, as a regular sea kayaker in the area its a gives a great sense of security to know if something goes wrong these people have got your back. See them out training nearly every Wednesday and weekends, always give them a wave.
All for the sake of a $200plb that could’ve alleviated the urgency.