Airlie Beach Fishing Charters owner makes miraculous recovery after boat explosion at Coral Sea Marina

The owner of a popular Qld fishing charters operation has revealed the moments leading up to being ‘smashed in the arms and face’ by a fireball which erupted on his boat. Warning: graphic images

This story contains sensitive content and disturbing images.

The owner of a popular Whitsundays fishing charters company has made a miraculous recovery after he was badly burnt in a boat explosion after fuelling up at a local marina.

Owner of Airlie Beach Fishing Charters Matty -Gee- Gluvic, 39, was aboard his “proud and joy” boat Stryker at the Coral Sea Marina with his father and one of his skippers when an explosion occurred below deck on May 9.

“We’d filled up a little while prior and we were putting a deck wash hose in and it was getting late so we decided to call it a night.

“I was showing the boys how to take all the life jackets out of the hatch that goes in the floor and put them up the front where they’ll nicely dry and be kept clean.

“And I was showing them how much space we had down below deck that we could put icing to carry extra fish.

The Whitsunday fishing charter boat where a man was seriously injured after an explosion below deck on May 9, 2024 at Coral Sea Marina.

“When I opened the hatch that looks down below deck, a massive fireball just came rushing out of there and smashed me in the face and my arms,” he said adding that by opening the hatch, oxygen got in and turned a small fire into a larger fire.

“It was only a vapour lock, if the fuel tanks had actually erupted, there was 600 litres on board … I wouldn’t be chatting with you now.”

Matty Gluvic suffered burns to his hands, arms and face in the fireball Picture: Contributed

Mr Gluvic said he was the only person that got burned, his father coming out of the incident unscathed while his skipper sustained a fracture to one of his feet.

Authorities had earlier reported that the two other man sustained respectively abdominal burns and burns to the legs.

“If I tell you how it felt, you’re going to laugh, it felt hot,” he laughed.

“I don’t recommend it, it’s pretty s**t.”

Owner of Airlie Beach Fishing Charters Matty Gluvic: “If I tell you how it felt, you’re going to laugh, it felt hot.” Picture: Contributed

The boat operator was first taken to Proserpine Hospital before he was flown to Townsville Hospital on the same night.

He has been undertaking treatments for his burns since then and has made a very speedy recovery that “impressed” his doctors.

“They said in a month or so it would look different, but it took only about a week,” he said.

“It became superficial pretty quick and I spent a lot of time in the shower and moisturising my face, and all the burnt skin came off fairly easily.

“I’m feeling pretty lucky.”

Matty Gluvic says he’s feeling ‘pretty lucky’ after being hit by a massive fireball.

As to Stryker, the boat has sustained “very minimal damage”, with only two large hatches that were damaged as well as the Eva foam flooring.

“I’m going to get all the wiring removed and I’m just pretty much redoing it all anyway just to make sure everything is 100 per cent.

“I’ve got so many people going over that boat from one end to another, by the time it’s finished it’s going to be the safest boat in Airlie Beach.”

Mr Gluvic said he did not understand how such an incident may have occurred but that it was most likely a fuel leak that caused it.

Workplace Health and Safety Queensland investigators are inspecting a fishing charter boat where three crew members were injured after an explosion at Coral Sea Marina on May 9, 2024. Picture: Estelle Sanchez

“All the professionals I used to build [Stryker] were good workers, I try really, really hard to keep my boat extremely compliant.” he said.

“She won’t be going back on the water until she’s a 100 per cent.”

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority have confirmed that they are the body leading the investigation as to what occurred on that day with the help of Workplace Health and Safety Queensland.

Investigations are ongoing.