Caloundra Coast Guard has extended its appeal for dredging in the Pumicestone Passage, after sand blocked its route to two stricken men.
The rescue group was unable to use its primary rescue vessel to exit the passage and attend a mayday call off the coast, at low tide.
The group had previously urged State Government to undertake a dredging trial, after a tidal breakthrough at Bribie Island led to masses of sand in the waterway, but its pleas were rejected.
Coast Guard’s fears were realised last week when two brothers, heading from Brisbane to Mooloolaba, called for help when their 27-foot boat experienced engine trouble and took on water off Caloundra Headland.
Sunshine Coast News is collating old photos of the passage, to document its change over time. If you have any photos that you’d like to submit, send to news@sunshinecoastnews.com.au
Mooloolaba Coast Guard issued a mayday alert for all vessels in the area and Mooloolaba and Caloundra Coast Guard crews, Water Police and Surf Life Saving Queensland joined in the search.
Caloundra Coast Guard commander Roger Pearce said his crew was unable to mount a concerted rescue attempt.
“Because it was low tide, we couldn’t get our primary rescue vessel over the Caloundra bar, to search for these men,” he said.
“Honestly, it’s going to take a death before someone realises that they’re doing the wrong thing by not dredging.
“It’s annoying that it (a plea for action) is falling on deaf ears. We just want something to happen.”
The Caloundra crew managed to overcome the bar with a smaller 7m rescue boat, but Mr Pearce said they struggled in bleak conditions. He said they would have significantly benefited from utilising the bigger boat.
“There was extremely deteriorating weather,” he said.
“The visibility was down to 50m, which made it very difficult to find someone in the water.
“Our primary vessel has an enclosed cabin, it’s a 10m seagoing vessel and it’s got much better equipment, including a FLIR camera, which enables us to see in the dark.
“The weather was so bad that we would have used our FLIR during the search, but we didn’t have it.”
The two men, adrift at sea, were ultimately found by a SLSQ Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter, off the coast of Moffat Beach, and they were winched to safety about two hours after their call for help.
Mr Pearce praised the brothers for doing all they could to be found.
“The boys were very cunning,” he said.
“They had red and yellow lifejackets on, and they also grabbed some seats off the sinking vessel for flotation and they were huddled together. So, they could be easily seen from the air.”
Mr Pearce said he was told that dredging would be too expensive and inefficient.
“We were told it would cost about $50,000 to get a dredge in and out for a dredge session, and about $3000 a day to run it,” he said.
Maritime Safety Queensland General Manager Kell Dillon told Sunshine Coast News in late August that conditions were not stable in the passage and dredging could be pointless.
“The ocean breakthrough at Bribie Island has resulted in a dynamic coastal system which is yet to establish equilibrium, particularly with changes in wave action following winter and ongoing South-East Queensland severe weather events,” he said.
“Any dredging carries a very high risk of sand re-filling the works in a very short time.”
“No works are recommended until a clear understanding of the likely outcome is known.”
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