Fishermen survive capsize without lifejackets
Two men have been rescued after their boat capsized at Cronulla and they spent hours in the waterEmergency services were called to Bate Bay, near Wanda Beach, after an EPIRB (emergency position-indicating radio beacon) was activated from a boat about 9.45pm last night (Saturday July 22, 2017).
A joint rescue effort by NSW Police and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) was launched and the boat was located by an ambulance helicopter approximately one nautical mile off Cronulla about 10.30pm.
Despite the big ground swell and cold winter water, the two men, aged 36 and 28, were found sitting on the overturned boat.
The rescued fishos were taken to a wharf on Tonkin Street at Cronulla where they were treated by ambulance paramedics.
The men, who were not wearing lifejackets, were taken to Sutherland Hospital suffering hypothermia.
One of the men was also treated for lacerations on his head.
Apparently, after a number of hours after the boat capsized, one of the men swam back under the vessel to retrieve the EPIRB.
Inquiries are continuing. But we will add that Bate Bay off Cronulla has a number of large reefs that break in a big ground swell. There is Merries Reef but also Osborne Shoals and Shark Island that, along with Jibbon on the other side of Port Hacking, have all claimed boaters lives before.
Be careful in the big ground swells and err on the side of caution at night and wear your lifejacket at times of heightened risk.
A Hazardous Surf warning has been issued for the weekend in Sydney by BOM and circulated by NSW Police and other rescue authorities.
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