A 61-year-old man is dead after a rogue wave capsized a boat off Long Reef, on Sydney’s Northern Beaches earlier today.
Three men, who are believed to be from the same family, were fishing in a small, 12-foot aluminium motor boat at 9.30am when a large wave struck their boat, capsizing it. All three men ended up in the water.
Two men, aged 13 and 33, manged to swim to a rock platform and climb out of the water. However, a third man, aged in his sixties, is believed to have suffered what may have been a cardiac arrest while in the water.
Surf Life Saving NSW responded to a request from Water Police and quickly tasked two callout teams from Collaroy SLSC and Long Reef SLSC. Police, Ambulance and the NSW Fire and Rescue Vertical Response Team were also tasked to the incident.
A Inflatable Rescue Boat (IRB) from Long Reef SLSC was first on the scene and found the older man floating in the water. He was rescued by the IRB team but was unresponsive.
The man was taken immediately to nearby Fisherman’s Beach where he was handed over to waiting paramedics. They performed CPR on the man but he was pronounced dead a short time later.
The three men are believed to be from Sydney’s West. It’s understood that the 61-year old man was wearing a lifejacket at the time he fell into the water. Conditions were moderately calm at the time of the incident with low sea swells.
Adrian Hill, Director of Lifesaving at Surf Life Saving Northern Beaches, said that it was a freak accident and that the ocean can be unpredictable.
“Conditions were calm at the time of the incident, but it appears a rogue wave has hit the boat causing it to capsize,” said Adrian Hill.
Surf Life Saving NSW extends its condolences to the man’s family.
Sunday 1 December 2019