Tuesday 31 Oct 2023 – 12:00 noon – Marine Rescue NSW crew stood down from search for missing swimming off Illawarra Coast
Marine Rescue NSW volunteers on board Port Kembla 31 have been stood down from the search for a swimmer who did not return to shore at Fairy Meadow Beach on Sunday evening.
Marine Rescue NSW Inspector Glenn Sullivan said the crew on board PK 31 resumed the search at 7:30 this morning (Tuesday 31 October).
“After three hours of searching alongside Water Police, Port Kembla 31 was stood down at 10:30am.
“Marine Rescue NSW and Water Police this morning searched the area from Bellambi Reef to off Hill 60 pushing east.
“The search is currently suspended and we are awaiting further instruction from Marine Area Command.
“A gale warning is in place for the Illawarra Coast today,” Inspector Sullivan said.
Marine Rescue NSW is a volunteer based not-for-profit professional organisation dedicated to keeping boaters safe on the water and supporting local communities.
Tuesday 31 Oct 2023 – 9:00 AM – Marine Rescue NSW volunteers resume search for missing swimmer off Illawarra Coast
Marine Rescue NSW is supporting today’s multi-agency search for a missing swimmer off Wollongong with a volunteer crew on board Port Kembla 31.
Marine Rescue NSW Inspector Glenn Sullivan said PK 31 is currently on-water.
“Port Kembla 31 is continuing the search alongside Water Police from Port Kembla.
“They are following information provided by drift modelling from Marine Area Command,” Inspector Sullivan said.
Marine Rescue NSW is a volunteer based not-for-profit professional organisation dedicated to keeping boaters safe on the water and supporting local communities.
Monday 30 Oct 2023 – 4:00 PM – Marine Rescue NSW crews searching for missing swimmer off Fairy Meadow stood down for the day
Marine Rescue NSW volunteers on board Port Kembla 31 and Shellharbour 30 have been stood down for the day after assisting Marine Area Command in the multi-agency search for a missing swimmer off Fairy Meadow.
Marine Rescue NSW Inspector Stuart Massey said the crews on board PK 31 and SH 30 spent almost 7 hours searching for the missing swimmer after being deployed just before 8am today.
“Marine Rescue had two rescue vessels out there today from Port Kembla and Shellharbour.
“We covered an area from East Corrimal down to the Five Islands and we covered an area of approximately 21 square nautical miles.
“The conditions out there today were quite choppy, different swells coming in from different directions, making it quite difficult for the crews,” he said.
Inspector Massey said both Marine Rescue NSW crews used sophisticated electronic equipment on the rescue vessels to aid with the search.
“One of the things we use is sonar.
“It does give us a view of the ocean floor and what we’re looking for there are any anomalies,” he said.
Marine Rescue NSW vessels and crew from Port Kembla and Shellharbour will again take part in the search tomorrow.
“We’ll work alongside Water Police and we’ll search under their direction in designated areas that they’ve determined,” Inspector Massey said.
Marine Rescue NSW is a volunteer based not-for-profit professional organisation dedicated to keeping boaters safe on the water and supporting local communities.
Monday 30 Oct 2023 – 10:00 AM – Marine Rescue NSW crews resume search for missing swimmer off Illawarra Coast
Marine Rescue NSW volunteers on board rescue vessels Port Kembla 31 and Shellharbour 30 resumed the search for a missing swimmer off Fairy Meadow just before 8am this morning.
Marine Rescue NSW Inspector Stuart Massey said volunteer crews are working alongside NSW Police Marine Area Command.
“The first search area is between Flagstaff Point and Towradgi Point.
“Port Kembla 31, Shellharbour 30 and Water Police 23 are conducting a parallel line search in fair sea conditions,” Inspector Massey said.
Marine Rescue NSW is a volunteer based not-for-profit professional organisation dedicated to keeping boaters safe on the water and supporting local communities.
Sunday 29 Oct 2023 – 11:00 AM – Marine Rescue Port Kembla assists with search for missing swimmer off Fairy Meadow
Volunteers from Marine Rescue Port Kembla were tasked to assist Marine Area Command with a search for a missing swimmer off Fairy Meadow this evening.
Marine Rescue NSW Inspector Stuart Massey said rescue vessel Port Kembla 31 was deployed with six crew on board.
“PK 31 conducted multiple search patterns off Fairy Meadow in fair sea conditions.
“Marine Rescue NSW volunteers on board PK 31 used the vessel’s FLIR (forward looking infrared) system to aid visibility before being stood down for the night at 9:30pm,” Inspector Massey said.
Marine Rescue NSW volunteers will resume the search at 8am tomorrow on board Port Kembla 31 and Shellharbour 30.
Marine Rescue NSW is a volunteer based not-for-profit professional organisation dedicated to keeping boaters safe on the water and supporting local communities.
Sunday 29 Oct 2023 – 9.30 am – Marine Rescue NSW assists multi-agency search for missing boater on Murray River in western Riverina
Volunteers from Marine Rescue Moama spent substantial hours over the weekend assisting a multi-agency search for a missing boater on the Murray River near Barham.
Members from the Moama unit were tasked on Saturday afternoon and drove to Koondrook, Victoria where they launched rescue vessel Moama 10.
The crew searched for many hours and towed the missing boater’s vessel to a secure location before the search was suspended on Saturday evening.
Marine Rescue NSW Inspector Stuart Massey said the search resumed this morning with extra volunteers from Marine Rescue Moama joining the operation along with rescue vessel Moama 20.
“Volunteer crews on board Moama 10 and MO 20 spent the day searching sections of the Murray River identified by Police.
“Whilst the river is relatively stable there is a lot of debris in the water making it challenging for the crews.
“Our crews are working with Victoria Police Divers and SES along with aerial support.
“The use of sonar technology available on Marine Rescue NSW vessels is vital on waterways like the Murray River.
“Our experience and training come to the forefront in searches of this nature,” Inspector Massey said.
The Marine Rescue NSW crews were stood down at 4:15pm this afternoon (29 October).
A volunteer crew on board Marine Rescue NSW vessel Moama 20 will resume the search tomorrow.
Marine Rescue NSW is a volunteer based not-for-profit professional organisation dedicated to keeping boaters safe on the water and supporting local communities.
Friday 27 Oct 2023 – 11.00 am – Marine Rescue Port Macquarie assists multi-agency search for missing person
Marine Rescue NSW volunteers have be on-water this morning assisting NSW Police Marine Area Command with a search for a missing person at Port Macquarie.
Marine Rescue NSW Inspector Rodney Page said four assets from Marine Rescue Port Macquarie were tasked to assist with the search.
“Rescue vessels Port Macquarie 21 and Port Macquarie 30 along with two Rescue Water Craft (jet skis) were deployed around 8.30am.
“They spent almost two hours on water but have been stood down because of unfavorable conditions with seas between 2 and 3 metres offshore.
“The RWCs covered an area from Port Macquarie Bar south to Nobbys Beach.
“Rescue boats PM 21 and PM 30 conducted a parallel line search from the Bar to the Tacking Point Lighthouse.
“They completed multiple legs before returning to base.
“Marine Rescue NSW Radio Operators and Watch Officers assisted with communications from the Marine Rescue Port Macquarie Search and Rescue Coordination Centre,” Inspector Page said.
Marine Rescue NSW is a volunteer based not-for-profit professional organisation dedicated to keeping boaters safe on the water and supporting local communities.
Friday 27 Oct 2023 – 10.00 am – Marine Rescue NSW crew assisting with search for missing helicopter off Port Stephens
Marine Rescue NSW volunteers on board Port Stephens 30 have joined NSW Police Marine Area Command in the search for a missing helicopter on the Hunter Coast.
Marine Rescue NSW Inspector Steve Raymond said a crew from Marine Rescue Port Stephens was deployed to assist with the search at 8am this morning.
“Volunteers on board PS 30 completed a thorough search on Port Stephens Bay before joining Water Police offshore.
“The Marine Rescue NSW boat is now conducting a parallel line search with a Water Police vessel from Port Stephens Heads north to Bennetts Beach,” Inspector Raymond said.
Marine Rescue NSW is a volunteer based not-for-profit professional organisation dedicated to keeping boaters safe on the water and supporting local communities.
