Sunshine Coast boat rescue: Water police, Coast Guard en route

Video footage has been released showing two men being choppered from waters off the Sunshine Coast after they issued a mayday call when their boat started taking on water.

A vessel just off the Sunshine Coast has issued a mayday call after it began taking on water, with the water police and the Coast Guard tasked.

Dramatic footage has been released of the rescue of two men who were choppered from waters off the Sunshine Coast after their boat sunk.

Surf Life Saving Queensland’s rescue crew were tasked with Queensland Police and coast guards after a mayday call was received on Tuesday afternoon.

A Queensland Police spokeswoman said water police were tasked to the 27-foot boat which was experiencing engine trouble about 2.50pm on Tuesday November 8, 11 nautical miles south of Mooloolaba.

She said two people had been pulled out of the water by a surf life saving rescue helicopter, with the boat possibly out of sight.

“It looks like the boat has sunk,” she said.

Catch the exclusive video footage direct from LS45 as the WLHRS crew completed this massive rescue yesterday afternoon! A mayday call was sent out by two boatmen off the coast of Caloundra.
When our community is in a crisis, SLSQ family will always step up and save lives ❤️💛 pic.twitter.com/17ICV6Ck9o

— Surf Life Saving Queensland (SLSQ) (@lifesavingqld) November 9, 2022

A Queensland Ambulance spokeswoman said an ambulance crew was waiting at the Caloundra Surf Life Saving Club.

She said there were no known injuries.

Mooloolaba Coast Guard radio operator said he received a call at 2.30pm from a man who was driving a 27-foot flybridge cruiser, which took on “a lot” of water after having engine problems.

“They were a bit desperate and called in assistance,” he said.

He said one of his coast guard’s boats, alongside one from Caloundra Coast Guard, later searched for the vessel, but it wasn’t found.

He said there was a “fair chance”the vessel had sunk.

Caloundra Coast Guard base station radio operator Leigh said the two people had been pulled out from the water off Moffat Beach after travelling from Bribie to Mooloolaba.