Boaties have been urged to be wary of a dangerous bar off the Sunshine Coast, after yet another vessel became stuck on a sand bank.
The Caloundra Coast Guard has warned skippers to be cautious of the ever-changing Bribie Bar, which formed when the tide broke through Bribie Island in early 2022.
Rescue crews have had to come to the aid of at least 30 boats at the bar, which is now more than 1km wide.
Coast Guard volunteers were set to head out again, on Tuesday night, to renew efforts to free a vessel that had grounded.
Deputy commander Jerry Jurczak said the operator of that boat had experienced a string of incidents.
“He was going out (through the bar), he broke down and ran aground,” he said.
“They (Coast Guard) tried to get him off (the bank), but he ran aground again.
“He put his anchor out but couldn’t get it up: the electrics failed. He then got the electrics going and pulled the anchor up, but the steering failed.”
Mr Jurczak said boaties should be knowledgeable about the bar and be aware of its challenges.
“If you miss the bar, you’ll get stuck (on sand) with waves coming in and hitting you the whole time and they could flip your boat over or roll it sideways,” he said.
“They (boaties) need to know the track to get out (currently a narrow channel at the north of the bar) and they need to monitor the winds and the tide.
“We (Coast Guard) take those things into account and we also go out and look at the bar before we cross it.
“We don’t go barging through it. We pick a spot, stop, watch, and learn and see if there are sets (of waves) coming through or not. We pick our timing to get out between sets.”
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He said Coast Guard was on hand to help boaties get through.
“We keep telling people: ‘if you’re not sure, give us a call and we’ll escort you out’.”
Mr Jurczak said the route was hazardous.
“All bars are dangerous,” he said. “There’s no such thing as a safe bar.”
“They all do weird stuff, especially if you pick the wrong tide.
“There are signs before the Bribie Bar – two big yellow markers that MSQ (Maritime Safety Queensland) put up – saying ‘dangerous bar ahead’.
Mr Jurczak said the Coast Guard recently rescued some people who did not have life jackets on.
“When crossing a coastal bar, you’ve got to wear a life jacket…that’s the law,” he said.
He said a recent tidal breakthrough of Bribie Island, to the south, at the destroyed Lions Park, was “not officially recognised as a bar yet”.
“But we can’t stop people going through there, so we’ve navigated it numerous time ourselves just to be aware of what it’s like.”
He said the northern end of the Pumicestone Passage, including the Bribie Bar, was ever-changing but “still navigable”.
“People have just got to be careful.”
Sunshine Coast News has reached out to MSQ and the Department of Environment for comment.
The former has previously told SCN that it “regularly reviews the area and repositions navigational aids to mark the best available water”.
“Notices to Mariners are issued to alert boaties of changes or hazards as they occur. You can view Notices to Mariners on the Maritime Safety Queensland website”.
