TWO divers have been miraculously rescued after spending more than 21 hours missing at sea off the Redlands Coast.
The pair of scuba divers were reported missing off Point Lookout on North Stradbroke Island just after 10am on Saturday after they failed to return to their boat at 9.40am.
A large-scale search was launched about 10.30am, involving Water Police, Coast Guard, aerial crews and police divers, as authorities raced against time to locate the missing pair.
The search was suspended after nearly eight hours as night fell before resuming at first light on Sunday morning.
In a dramatic breakthrough, the divers were spotted by a police helicopter about 7.40am on Sunday, more than four kilometres offshore.
They were winched to safety 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 two male divers in their 40s were reported missing at 10.38am on April 18.
“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.
Stradbroke Flyer Gold Cats said the rescue had brought immense relief to the local marine community.
“We are so glad they have been found and are in safe hands after what would have been a very long 21 hours in the water.
“We think of the Straddie dive crew as one of our own and we are so relieved to hear of the safe retrieval of these amazing and talented divers.”
The incident has again highlighted the risks associated with offshore diving, particularly when conditions change quickly.
It is understood the divers managed to stay together in open water while awaiting rescue, a factor often credited with improving survival chances.
Similar rescues have occurred in Australian waters in recent years, including incidents off the Great Barrier Reef where divers have been located after drifting for hours due to strong currents or separation from vessels.
Maritime safety experts say such cases, while rare, reinforce the importance of surface marker buoys, dive planning and strict return times to reduce the risk of divers becoming stranded at sea.
