TWO divers have been miraculously rescued after spending more than 20 hours missing at sea off the Redlands Coast in what police have described as a “great outcome” following a massive multi-agency search.
The pair – a 45-year-old Victoria Point man and a 43-year-old Robina man – were reported missing off Point Lookout on North Stradbroke Island about 10am on Saturday, April 18, after they failed to return to their boat at the expected time of about 9.15am.
Acting Sergeant Matt Boswell said the alarm triggered an immediate large-scale emergency response.
“The call was put out and a number of agencies responded including Water Police, police divers, local police, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, Maritime Safety Queensland, Marine Rescue Queensland, Coast Guard, Surf Life Saving Queensland and aerial assets,” he said.
A major search operation was launched about 10.30am, with crews scouring waters off North Stradbroke Island as concerns quickly grew for the missing men.
The search continued for nearly eight hours on Saturday before being suspended as night fell, then resumed at first light on Sunday morning.
Acting Sgt Boswell said conditions were challenging throughout the operation.
“Conditions were fairly rough, and obviously being out in the ocean for that amount of time raises concerns around exposure,” he said.
In a dramatic breakthrough, the divers were located early Sunday morning after drifting a significant distance from where they were last seen.
“They were located about 7am by the AMSA Challenger aircraft,” Acting Sgt Boswell said.
“They were about 2.2 nautical miles off Main Beach, and they had drifted roughly 14 nautical miles south from their original location.”
The pair were then winched to safety by helicopter and flown to Main Beach on the Gold Coast.
A Queensland Ambulance Service spokesperson said a multi-agency search and rescue operation was launched after the two men were reported missing at 10.38am.
“They were safely located, winched by helicopter, and transported to Gold Coast University Hospital with minor injuries, both in a stable condition,” the spokesperson said.
The dramatic rescue brought relief to emergency crews, families and the wider community.
“I imagine everyone who was aware of the incident would have been relieved,” Acting Sgt Boswell said.
“It’s a great outcome.”
The operation drew on both local and regional resources, including specialist crews.
