Cops perform two more marine rescues in 24 hours

NT Police have performed two more marine rescues within 24 hours after four other people were rescued on Sunday.

UPDATED Thursday: NT Police have performed two more marine rescues within 24 hours.

In the first incident, Water Police were advised of a distress call from a commercial fishing boat in Arnhem Bay at about 6.45pm on Tuesday.

Senior Constable First Class Wade Marshall said a woman on board had suffered a medical episode before the skipper loaded her into a tender and departed for Nhulunbuy.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority Response Centre (ARC) then deployed the Challenger from Cairns and Water Police requested local Nhulunbuy police respond with a St John Ambulance paramedic on board to intercept the tender around the Cape Wilberforce area.

“Although we couldn’t communicate with the tender it was fitted with a ‘Vessel Monitoring System’ so it was possible for us to track its route,” Sen Const Marshall said.

Nhulunbuy Police reached them just after midnight where the paramedic was able to assess the patient before she was conveyed to Gove District Hospital for assessment and discharged later that morning.

Then at about 11.40am on Wednesday Water Police responded to an EPIRB activation off the coast of Melville Island, 120km from Darwin.

Senior Sergeant Andrew Hocking said the ARC sent a CareFlight helicopter and a commercial vessel in the area to attend the location and provide an assessment.

On confirming the vessel had experienced a mechanical failure, Water Police towed the boat back to Darwin, arriving safely around 6.30pm.

“Anything can go wrong on the water, and it’s important to be prepared for the worst case scenario,” Sr Sgt Hocking said.

“Make sure you have an EPIRB and that it is correctly registered. Stay in communication if possible and help will come.

“These incidents show how many agencies and private vessels work together in responding to mariners in distress, and my thanks to everyone involved.”

EARLIER: A GROUP of four people stuck floating in dangerous waters off Darwin overnight on Sunday said their goodbyes, believing they wouldn’t make it to see the sun rise.

What was supposed to be a late night jaunt to Bare Sand Island turned into a worst nightmare when the little dingy they were in capsized, leaving the group stuck treading water and hanging onto the boat for hours.

The group left their anchored catamaran Tearaway and set off in the little boat for the island, a popular breeding site for turtles.

A CareFlight crew rescued four people who were forced to tread water for hours after their catamaran’s dingy capsized near Bare Sand Island on Sunday night. Picture: CareFlight

However, strong currents caused water to fill the boat and capsize it.

CareFlight aircrew officer Ben, who didn’t want his surname published, said the group treaded from about 9pm on Sunday until sunrise when they were able to see the shore and swim towards it.

They managed to avoid running into crocs, sharks and jellyfish.

CareFlight were called to rescue the group after they made it to shore and then back to the catamaran where they let off their EPIRB at 12pm on Monday.

A CareFlight crew rescued four people who were forced to tread water for hours after their catamaran’s dingy capsized near Bare Sand Island on Sunday night. Picture: CareFlight

They arrived at the island at 12.30pm after being sent by the Australian Marine Safety Authority and the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre.

“(We) found the vessel and noticed there were two people waiving frantically on the bow and they are pointing further up the creek,” Ben said.

“We noticed an object near the water. We quickly spotted a person on the beach who was seeking shelter under some driftwood.

“We then landed on the beach and assessed her and put her on the aircraft.”

Ben said they then dropped a radio to the people who had made it onto the catamaran, who said they were all OK and would sail back to Darwin.

The woman they rescued from the beach was stable and taken back to the CareFlight hangar to be assessed by a doctor onsite.

“She told us that in the night-time she said goodbye to her husband,” he said.

“When we picked her up she broke down in tears.”

Ben said the woman, aged in her late 50s or early 60s, was shaken from the event as she couldn’t swim and her life jacket was leaking air.

He urged everyone to check their gear and ensure they were prepared before setting off on trips.

In a separate incident, NT Police were called to rescue a bush walker who got lost in scrub around Robin Falls.

The 79-year-old man was camping around the falls when he went for a walk on Sunday and became disoriented.