People urged to stay off the water as boats and other flood debris washes onto Moreton Island

Residents desperate to find their missing boats are being urged to stay off the water until dangerous hidden flood debris has been cleared from the waterways. Sonar will be used to help identify objects under the still-closed Brisbane river.

While flood clean up starts on land members of the coast guard are urging boat owners to stay off the water while flood debris is cleared.

Several ‘boaties’ have been waiting for the floodwaters to subside to start searching for their missing vessels that were torn from their moorings earlier this week following a days-long “rain bomb” that caused the Brisbane and surrounding rivers to flood.

But Volunteer Marine Rescue (VMR) Squadron Commodore Jason Boon urged people to stay off the water – both the rivers and Moreton Bay – for as long as possible as everything from logs to pontoons and even boats started to wash ashore on southeast Queensland beaches.

“Our warning is to stay off the water,” he said.

“There’s some very large chunks of debris and if unseen and a vessel hits it the vessel can become disabled.”

A team from Volunteer Marine Rescue 447-Redland Bay were among those who helped remove this catamaran that was dragged away in the floods late Monday. Picture: VMR 447 – Redland Bay/Facebook

Mr Boon, 46, of Cleveland, said several damaged pontoons, boats and other items were still afloat in or under the water in still-receding rivers and in Moreton Bay.

“We’ve seen actual vessels upside down on the western side of Moreton Island,” he said.

A sole pontoon washed ashore on Peregian Beach on the Sunshine Coast on Wednesday and is believed to have come from the Brisbane River.

The swollen river and strengthened current dragged or damaged several pontoons, house boats and other large objects into the bay from Saturday night through to Monday, including a large crane that led to the evacuation of the Howard Smith Wharves dining precinct.

Flood debris, including pontoons and boats dragged away dragged away in the February 2022 floods have started washing up on beaches along the southeast Queensland coast. This pontoon and boat washed ashore on Tuesday or Wednesday on Moreton Island. Picture: The Ice Man/facebook.com/TeewahBeach

The sheer strength of the current and the damage it was causing led to Regional Harbour Master Brisbane, Glen Hale, closing the Brisbane River and tributaries upstream from Luggage Point East to Fisherman’s Island on Monday.

“Significant flooding is occurring in southeast Queensland and this is currently impacting the Brisbane River area and this has created an unsafe environment for the operation of ships due to significantly increased water flow rates and uncontrolled flood debris,” he wrote in his directive.

“This direction applies to all ships within the Brisbane River Area except those ships operated by Maritime Safety Queensland, Queensland Police Service, State Emergency Services and ships approved in writing to operate by the Harbour Master Brisbane.”

A Transport and Main Roads spokesman late Wednesday said the Brisbane River remained closed until further notice and it was not yet known when it would reopen.

“This is a complex situation which is being continually assessed and no firm timetable is possible at this point,” he said.

Flood debris, including pontoons and boats dragged away dragged away in the Southeast Queensland floods have started washing up on beaches. This pontoon washed ashore on Tuesday or Wednesday on Moreton Island. Picture: The Ice Man/facebook.com/TeewahBeach

A video shared to the VMR 447 – Redland Bay Facebook page gave a small indication on how strong the current was in the river.

“This video demonstrated just how fast the waters were flowing in the lower reaches of the Brisbane River. Crews were recording flows between 7-8 knots (about 14.5km/hr). This speed is faster than many yachts can go,” the caption accompanying the video said.

Redland Bay Coast Guard Flotilla Commander, David Bell, also urged boat owners to use “extreme caution” over the coming weeks in all rivers as well as in the ocean.

“For the next few weeks, if not longer, there will be a lot of debris out in the bay that people won’t be able to see,” he said.

“A lot of it is touching the surface of the water and makes it hard to see.

“But we are asking everybody to be super, super careful and to not take any risks.”

This boat washed ashore on Tuesday or Wednesday on Moreton Island. Picture: The Ice Man/facebook.com/TeewahBeach

Mr Bell, 59, of Carbrook, said he and his crew had spotted at least 15 dislodged pontoons of between 8m-15m in length, floating down the river on Monday alone.

He also said VMR members would not even train on the water at night at the moment due to the risk of hitting flood debris.

“The problem’s going to be that, even now with it all flushed out across the bay, this stuff will circulate for a while until it gets to shore,” Mr Bell said.

“We had full size trees coming down the river, probably 30-40-feet long.

“So if you’re’ driving around in a boat and have an outboard (motor), it can take the outboard off.”

Maritime Safety Queensland (MSQ) officials will be using sonar equipment to scan the river to find any large debris stuck under the water that could be hazardous to boats.

A Smart Ship simulator will also be used to first map out the best and safest ways to pilot vessels back into the river before allowing cargo and other large ships to return to the busy port.

A smaller boat that became lodged underneath a large ship on the Brisbane river on Monday. Picture: Picture: VMR 447 – Redland Bay/Facebook

Marine salvage professionals with the Maritime Recovery Group will also be operating from the mouth of the Brisbane River north to Bribie and the tip of Moreton Island collecting loose vessels, pontoons and other watercraft, according to their Facebook page.

“Please be aware that it is an offence to take or keep anything found floating or attached to a part of infrastructure or pontoon we have been contracted by the Department of Transport and Main Roads/MSQ,” the post said.

“If you find something on a beach please take a picture and location and send it to us so we can collect it.”

Boaties have also taken to Facebook looking for their missing boats, with one man saying he was also looking for his cat that was on board a runaway yacht.

The floods started after a “rain bomb” dumped more than one metre of rain – or about 80 per cent of the city’s annual average rainfall – on the area in a matter of days.

Throughout southeast Queensland, at least 33 areas recorded more than one metre of rain between February 23-28, according to the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM).

Queensland officials said about 15,000 properties sustained damage in the flooding and nine people lost their lives.