Search for missing Batemans Bay fisherman Geoff Buchanan points to concerning outcome
A large-scale search for an experienced fisherman and diver who has been missing since Saturday morning after he ventured out to sea has pointed to a grim outcome after his boat was found unmanned.
NSW
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A large-scale search for an experienced fisherman and diver who has been missing since Saturday morning after he ventured out to sea has pointed to a grim outcome after his boat was found unmanned.
Geoff Buchanan went on a solo fishing trip in an eight-metre Arvor runabout boat at the weekend and failed to return to port, triggering a large-scale sea and air search operation.
The 56-year-old left a Batemans Bay marina at 10am on Saturday and concerns were raised at 7.20pm when he did not return as expected.
A massive search operation, undertaken by the NSW Marine Area Command, Marine Rescue NSW, NSW Surf Lifesaving, and AMSA’s Challenger aircraft, resumed on Tuesday along a stretch of coast from as far north as Port Stephens and as far south as the Victorian border.
However, NSW Police said the search was suspended on Tuesday afternoon when Mr Buchanan’s vessel was located off the South Coast.
“About 1.20pm today, AMSA’s Challenger aircraft located the boat about 80 nautical miles east of Narooma,” a NSW Police spokesman said.
“No one was on board.”
The spokesman said a nearby commercial fishing vessels assisted to stop the vessel in challenging conditions.
It is now being towed back to shore.
The alarming update comes as scores of Mr Buchanan’s friends took to social media to issue urgent appeals to locate him, who they say is an “experienced solo fisherman and diver”.
Mr Buchanan’s worried wife, Julie, shared several posts on Facebook pleading for information about her missing husband.
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Originally published as Search for missing Batemans Bay fisherman Geoff Buchanan points to concerning outcome
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