Two fishermen, a father and his teenage son, are lucky to be alive after their five-metre runabout overturned on the Wooli River bar on the weekend.
Two runabouts were observed by Marine Rescue Wooli Radio Watch Officer Jackie Taffs attempting to cross the Wooli River bar at around 6:20 on Saturday morning.
The first runabout had to contend with five sets of breaking waves of up to 2.5 metres, becoming near vertical on a few occasions, before making it to deeper water. The second vessel was not so fortunate, overturning and spilling its two crew members into the sea just past the breakwater.
The team at Marine Rescue Wooli instantly swung into action, with Deputy Unit Commander Richard Taffs who was also on duty, running down to the nearby bar with a handheld radio to keep a close watch on the position of the two fishermen so as to guide rescuers, while a rescue crew was quickly assembled for rescue vessel Wooli 30.
Fortunately, the crew of the overturned vessel were wearing lifejackets, and were soon swept into the surf zone and onto the nearby Wooli Beach, where members of Marine Rescue Wooli collected them, returning them to the base for a first aid assessment, dry clothes and a hot drink ahead of the arrival of an ambulance and a more thorough medical examination before they were interviewed by NSW Police.
Deputy Commissioner Operations Alex Barrell said that the near miss was a timely reminder of the dangers of crossing bars, and the need for boaters to be properly prepared.
“Crossing a coastal bar presents boaters with a range of hazards within a confined space, including swift currents, limited room to maneuver, large breaking waves and other boaters,” Mr Barrell said.
“Plan your bar crossing by checking the local bar cam or eyeballing the bar in person. If in doubt, stay inshore and do not attempt a crossing. Watch the timing between wave sets and avoid heading out on an ebb tide.”
“Take particular note of the tide and weather forecast – a bar might be fine on the trip out but be far more dangerous on the return journey.”
“Wearing a lifejacket is compulsory when crossing a bar, and it’s a good idea to Log On with your local Marine Rescue base. They can advise you over the radio on VHF Channel 16 if the bar is safe to cross and provide pointers if you are unfamiliar with it.”