Touching tribute for three men who died in boat tragedy off Bellambi

Police are appealing for information after the bodies of three men were found off the Bellambi coast in mysterious circumstances when their boat failed to return to shore.

Police are appealing to the public for any information after three men were killed in a fatal boating incident off the Illawarra coast.

The bodies of three men - aged 19, 42 and 44 - were pulled from waters near Wollongong on July 4 after worried family members raised the alarm when they failed to return home from a recreational fishing trip.

Police have now released an image of the boat the men were on and is urging anyone who saw it on the day to come forward.

A major rescue operation was launched in waters off Bellambi boat ramp around 6am July 4, after the men and their small runabout boat were reported missing.

Police at Bellambi Point this morning.

The search is continuing at Bellambi. Picture: Darren Malone

The 4.6m runabout was due to return to Bellambi boat ramp at 2am. At 6am, family of the three men called police, who located their utility and boat trailer in the carpark.

A multi-agency search was initiated involving police, the Marine Area Command, PolAir and Surf Life Saving NSW volunteers, with a member of the public finding one of the bodies at East Corrimal Beach around 10am.

Police are appealing for public information as investigations continue into a fatal boating incident near Wollongong last month. Picture: NSW Police

The bodies of the other two men were located with the overturned boat about 5km east of the Bellambi boat ramp about 2pm and recovered by emergency services.

Detectives from the Marine Area Command have since established Strike Force Wheelwright to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

The Illawarra fishing community made a touching tribute to three men who died on a fishing trip following the tragedy.

In the day's following, the men’s utility sat in an almost-empty carpark at the boat ramp, with the fishing community leaving a touching tribute to the men.

Local fishermen left a touching tribute at the Bellambi carpark.

A card taped to the windscreen with a bunch of flowers read: “from all the fishermen, we are with you. Rest in peace”.

Wollongong Police Acting Inspector Jayson Joerdens said the incident was “tragic and confronting”, confirming the men were local to the Wollongong area.

“They were all from the Wollongong area,” he said at the time. “I don't know if they were experienced but they’ve been out at that location several times before.”

A major search of the Bellambi coast is underway.

Surf Lifesaving NSW Duty Officer Anthony Turner said conditions were a little rough on the night, but the spot where near where the boat was found was “notorious”.

“The locals call it ‘Virgins’, it does extend quite a few hundred metres offshore and if you are passing through that area you need to make sure you give it a wide berth,” he said.

“This is such a tragic occurrence, it just highlights the importance of checking the conditions and making sure you’re experienced and wear a life jacket.”