Flares aid rescue of shark fishermen
05/04/2019
Flares have been used to help rescue two Australian fisherman whose boat was sunk by the weight of two hooked sharks.
Rescuers on the scene one day in late March spotted a flare the New New South Wales fishermen had fired.
The men where fishing around 60 kilometres off Newcastle, reports 9News.
They initially caught a large shark and later hooked a second one. But their combined weight caused the stern to tip and the boat to take on water and sink
The men activated an emergency GPS beacon and fired the flare to alert rescuers.
Winch operator, Matt Dippolito on the Westpac Rescue helicopter said, “The first thing we saw when we got to the scene was the flare that they set off.”
The men were grateful to be lifted on board the helicopter, he added.
Westpac praised the men for wearing lifejackets, setting off flares and activating the beacon.
The image is from the Westpac Twitter site.
