Flare is last line of defence in Australia incident

27/01/2021

Four men were rescued in Australia after their boat sank, as their last flare drew help from a nearby vessel.

The men were spear-fishing off the New South Wales coast, near Nelson Bay, one morning in January. Their 4.8-metre boat overturned in 1.5m waves and sank within minutes.

The four, who were wearing lifejackets, clung on to floating food containers in the deep water for around an hour.

They set off a distress beacon, which alerted emergency personnel. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) and the NSW Police Marine Area Command asked the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service and Marine Rescue Port Stephens to help.

But first, a nearby ship appeared on the horizon and the men used their last flare to alert them.

The men were brought to shore and assessed by medics on the Westpac helicopter, which is shown in the image.

Joseph Zeller, of the AMSA Response Centre, says, “Setting off the flare resulted in a rescue soon after their vessel capsized, which meant that when rescue authorities arrived on the scene, the four people were out of immediate danger. We can’t stress enough the importance of having your safety equipment in order.”