Port Kembla: Two rock fisherman die after being swept off rocks

The spot where two fishermen died at Port Kembla on Friday, just weeks after three others drowned, is rough on an ordinary day — yet it continues to lure anglers, with many still unaware of its dangers.

It’s the popular fishing spot that has lured dozens of Sydney fishermen to their deaths.

Yet the death toll and extreme danger warnings don’t deter anglers from driving down to the south coast from Sydney, eager to snare their share of bonito, striped tuna, tailor and salmon.

Locals watch on in trepidation as visitors from the city line up on the water’s edge at Honeycomb Rocks.

It’s a place where you don’t have to worry about freak waves — just ordinary ones will knock you on your backside, or sweep you into the sea.

On Friday night, it claimed the lives of another two Sydneysiders.

Two men are dead after being swept off rocks at Port Kembla's Hill 60 Near Fisherman's Beach. Picture: Adam Yip

Lakemba man Mahade Khan, 30, and 37-year-old Muzaffar Ahammed from Wiley Park died after being knocked into the ocean. A third Sydney man, aged 42, is recovering in hospital after suffering water inhalation and mild hypothermia.

It was despite the heroic efforts of Lake Illawarra Highway Patrol officer Nicholas Park, who dived into the water with an inflatable device to try and keep the pair afloat, while two other general duties officers clambered up rocks after spotting a third man in the water.

Warnings near the rock platform where two men were swept off rocks at Port Kembla's Hill 60. Picture: Adam Yip

Images from the scene of the drownings early today near Hill 60, Fisherman's Beach, Port Kembla

For Inspector Norm Rees from NSW Ambulance, it’s all too familiar.

“They talk about freak waves and all that — this is not freak waves, this is normal surf conditions for that area that people who come here to fish from Sydney are not aware of,” Inspector Rees told The Sunday Telegraph.

“There have been six incidents over the last six to eight weeks in this same dangerous spot and I’ve been to two in the last three weeks that have resulted in five deceased. It’s ridiculous.

“This time there’s emergency personnel involved trying to help these guys. We do all the media, say it’s unsafe, wear life vests, wear life jackets, there’s angel rings — none of them had life vests on.

“And there’s coppers jumping into the water in the dark … the doctor had to be winched out of the helicopter to assist with the treatment of one of them. It’s crazy.”

Inspector Rees said most of the drownings he had attended at Hill 60 — named in 2003 as one of the eight rock fishing black spots in the state — involved Sydneysiders.

“The last one I was down there for, while I was doing the media interviews I was pointing out guys on the rock platform, no life jackets, fishing, the waves crashing over their legs and I thought see, there’s our next job.”

Gary Cuzner who has been fishing at Hill 60 Near Fisherman's Beach for over 50 years. Picture: Adam Yip

Gary Cuzner has been fishing at Hill 60 for 55 years and has “never come close to getting wet”.

“That’s because I know the area and I pay attention to the conditions,” he said.

“They insist on going to the Honeycomb Rocks. If a swell comes there you have to run 50 or 60 feet to get away to find a higher rock. But people don’t listen and just keep going back.

“I’ve told people and told people. Just the other day I saw three blokes there. I put down my gear and walked over and told them not to fish there, it was dangerous.

“They ignored me so I left them to it. Half an hour later I looked around and a wave had wiped them out.

“They come here because it’s a good spot for surface fish, like tailor, salmon and kingfish. It’s a good spot because it’s open to the southern swell but it’s bloody dangerous.

“My father said to me: ‘If the rocks are wet, it’s a sign the water has come over, so do not fish there’. It’s pretty simple.”

DANGERS OF ROCK FISHING

Emergency crews have warned against the dangers of rock fishing after three men were swept into the ocean at a notorious spot that claimed another three lives just weeks ago.

Two men from Sydney died and a third was rescued on Friday night after they were swept off rocks at Hill 60, near Fisherman’s Beach, in Port Kembla.

Police were first to arrive on scene, with Lake Illawarra Highway Patrol officer Nicholas Park diving into the water with an inflatable device to rescue one of the men.

“He swam out 100m where one of the fishermen was, and also noticed another out there,”

Lake Illawarra Police District Commander Superintendent Dean Smith said.

Supt Smith said one of the men was kept afloat by officer Park, while the other man was kept afloat by an angel ring tossed to him by another person who was also fishing at Honeycomb Rocks.

After more than 25 minutes in the water, a surf lifesaving crew on an inflatable boat arrived and rescued officer Park and the men.

At the same time, two general duties officers from Lake Illawarra clambered up the rocks off Hill 60 where they spotted a third man in the water, who was winched to safety by the Toll Rescue chopper.

“Those two officers were hit by a rogue wave as they were spotting the third male and sustained minor injuries,” Supt Smith said.

“One suffered an injured wrist and had abrasions, the other sustained injury to his hip. We Very lucky they are safe and well.”

Lake Illawarra Police District Commander Superintendent Dean Smith at a press conference in Port Kembla following the death of two fishermen.

The man winched to safety and one of the men picked up in the IRB died.

Supt Smith confirmed the men had been fishing with a larger group when they were washed off the rocks.

“They had travelled to the location in the afternoon and intended to return home,” he said.

The third man, aged 42, was recovering in hospital after suffering water inhalation and mild hypothermia.

The men’s deaths come just weeks after three other men died at the exact same location, prompting strong messaging from police about the danger of rock fishing.

“People need to be aware of the conditions, they need to make sure they have appropriate safety equipment with them and they need to make sure they accept personal responsibility around where they put themselves and how they go about fishing,” Supt Smith said.

Surf Lifesaving NSW CEO Steven Pearce speaks to media in Port Kembla.

Surf Lifesaving NSW CEO Steven Pearce while the tragedy happened in daylight hours, the beach was unpatrolled and had a dangerous swell of around four foot.

He also praised the efforts of police, particularly officer Park, who risked his own life to save the men.

“It’s an extremely heroic effort, to enter the water without being trained in regarding to lifeguarding, they were fully clothed, it would be such horrendous position to be put in, but he entered the water anyway.”