VIDEO: Three rescued after fishing boat capsizes on Ballina bar
Three people have been rescued after their fishing boat lost power and capsized while attempting to cross the notorious Ballina bar.
The vessel was returning to Ballina from Byron around midday when it began having throttle problems on the way home.
As it came through the bar, the throttle cable is believed to have failed, leaving the boat without power.
With no power to hold course, a wave picked the boat up, turned it side-on and rolled it on the bar, throwing all three people into the water. All were wearing lifejackets.
Marine Rescue Ballina captain Geoff Hutchinson said he received a call reporting three people in the water and a boat overturned on the bar.
“I got the call to say there were three people in the water. I thought, the bar’s not good – we need the jet boat,” Captain Hutchinson said.
Marine Rescue’s video of the incident
Multi-agency rescue brings three to safety
Emergency services including NSW Police, Surf Life Saving and Marine Rescue Ballina responded.
Before the Marine Rescue jet boat could launch, Hutchinson contacted one of the unit’s jet boat operators, who was already on duty with Surf Life Saving.
“He was on at Surf Life Saving, so I said, ‘There’s three people in the water, the boat’s just turned over in the bar – get out there.’ He went out in the IRB and picked two of them up, and a surfer picked the third one up,” he said.
All three people were recovered from the water within about ten minutes and taken safely to shore.
By the time the Marine Rescue jet boat reached the scene, the priority had shifted from people to monitoring the drifting vessel.
Capsized boat drifts north to Shelly Beach
After the capsize, the overturned boat remained afloat and slowly drifted north with the conditions.
Hutchinson said Marine Rescue was later advised the vessel had been spotted offshore.
The capsized boat washed ashore on Shelly Beach
“They said, go out, the boat’s been spotted offshore – go out to the boat. We went, no, we can’t do anything with it,” he said.
About three hours after the incident, the capsized fishing boat washed up on Shelly Beach.
Images of the boat on the sand show major damage, including a twisted cabin structure and broken windows, and the vessel is understood to be a write-off.
The boat is described as a ‘Bar Crusher’ vessel used for leisure and fishing.
Run-out tide turns conditions dangerous
Hutchinson said there was more than two metres of swell offshore, but the bar itself had been relatively flat earlier in the day while the tide was flooding in – likely when the crew went out.
Conditions changed once the tide turned and began to run out.
“There was a run-out tide, which was the killer,” he said. “This morning the bar was flat when the tide was running in, and as soon as the tide turned it started to stand up.”
He said the skipper and crew appeared experienced and were caught out by gear failure rather than poor seamanship.
“Coming in, if they’d had power all the time they would have been fine. They seemed experienced – it was mechanical failure that drew them in,” he said.
The damaged boat is loaded and taken away
Rare capsize shows value of training and teamwork
Hutchinson said it has been close to two years since a boat last overturned on the Ballina bar, and incidents of this kind are now rare.
He described the response as an “absolutely textbook rescue”, with Marine Rescue Ballina, Surf Life Saving, NSW Police and local surfers all playing a part.
It has been a busy few days for rescue crews. The Marine Rescue jet boat was called out to tow a broken-down jet ski and bring the rider safely back to shore in rough conditions on Thursday.
Meanwhile the Westpac Rescue helicopter was called out to search for a swimmer who was reported missing off Lighthouse and Shelly beaches at about 2pm on Saturday. It was reported the swimmer was able to make it safely shore unassisted and did not require medical treatment.
Emergency services are again urging water goers to respect changing conditions, keep vessels well maintained and ensure everyone on board wears a lifejacket – measures that helped three people make it safely home from the water today.
The Westpac Helicopter was called out on Saturday afternoon for another multi-agency search for a reported missing swimmer
