Esky saves three men from drowning off cost of Albany in WA after boat capsized
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How three desperate fishermen turned an ESKY into a life raft after their boat capsized in choppy seas, and it may have saved their lives
- Three men saved from rough seas by clinging to esky
- The authorities can locate them thanks to an EPIRB
- The beacon gave them the exact location of the men.
Three fishermen have been rescued after clinging to an esky in dangerous waters after their boat capsized on a morning fishing trip.
The men’s boat capsized off the coast of Eclipse Island, some 17 kilometers off the coast of Albany in southern Western Australia, when it capsized and took on water around 10am Wednesday.
Fortunately, the men were able to alert emergency services with an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) at around 10:30 a.m. and used life jackets and an esky to stay afloat.
Footage from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) shows the men clinging to the esky as rough seas buffet them.
Three men saved themselves while clinging to an esky (pictured) in rough seas after their dinghy capsized 17km off the coast of Albany, south WA on Wednesday morning.
Albany Sea Rescue and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority were able to locate the men in rough seas after the EPIRB sent authorities their exact location in the rough seas.
‘In seas like this right now, it’s [locating the men] would be really difficult,’ said Chris Johns, coordinator of Albany Marine Salvage, to the abc.
Johns said only about an hour and 10 minutes elapsed between the activation of the beacon and the rescue of the men.
The boat had almost completely sunk when rescuers arrived on the scene, with only the tip visible above the water.
“It was a really good result and shows how emergency services come together and in particular how necessary EPIRBs are,” said Mr Johns. WAToday.
The exact location of the men was sent to the authorities with an emergency beacon, which meant they were saved in just over an hour after getting into trouble, AMSA called it “the difference between life and death”.
Authorities have praised the men for bringing the beacon on board, saying that without it, they could have lost their lives.
“In this case, both may have meant the difference between life and death,” AMSA said in a statement.
The three men were brought safely to Emu Point at around 12:40pm, with one of them being taken to hospital for treatment for hypothermia.
They had just bought the second hand boat in Perth and set out to fish in areas that the previous owner of the boat had marked.
One of the men said he would make a donation to Albany Sea Rescue as a thank you for the rescue.