‘Put them back in the water’: Rottnest ferry rescues divers ‘stranded’ by tour boat off WA coast

Two scuba divers have been rescued by a ferry returning from Rottnest Island after they were unintentionally left stranded for hours by a tour boat.

The two men were allegedly left behind during an organised diving tour by Perth Diving Academy in Hillarys on March 2.

The men, who were experienced divers, were left two to three nautical miles off the coast and were stranded for hours before being noticed by staff aboard Rottnest Fast Ferries.

Ferries director James Mulholland told 9 News Perth his crew had spotted the pair signalling from the water, clearly distressed, as they returned from the island.

He said the crew had manoeuvred the vessel, the Harbour Master, alongside the pair and one man climbed on board while the other clung to a ladder at the back of the boat, catching his breath.

They then radioed the diving academy’s vessel the Wildcat, alerting them to the incident and stating: “they’re already on the boat so we’ll just take them back in, you can collect them from Hillarys.”

“I don’t mind if you want to put them back in the water and we can pick them up,” crew on the Wildcat responded.

“One guy has gone back into the water, the other one is just holding on to the back of the boat until you get here, just for support.”

The Wildcat took 15 minutes to reach them, with one of the men later taken to hospital for treatment.

Both were left shaken and exhausted.

Perth Diving Academy refused to answer 9 News Perth’s questions, but confirmed the men were safe, and that the Australian Maritime Safety Authority was investigating.

Authority personnel were spotted on board the Wildcat on Wednesday. It is unclear why investigations were ongoing 10 days after the incident occurred.

The authority did not provide any details when questioned but confirmed it was aware of and was investigating the incident.

“Incidents involving passengers on board domestic commercial vessels must be reported to AMSA,” a spokesperson said.

“AMSA takes the safety of passengers and crew very seriously and will not hesitate to take swift and strong action should a breach of safety regulations or procedures be identified.”

The outcomes of any investigation could take months before being resolved.

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