Search resumes for brother missing at Creal Reef

Rescue crews have combed over 100 square nautical miles of ocean in a desperate search for the third member of a fishing expedition which found disaster off Mackay on Thursday. LATEST

There are grave fears for a missing fisherman as preparations are under way to enter the fourth day of an extensive search and rescue operation.

A 41-year-old Grasstree Beach man has now been missing for more than 80 hours after the boat he and two others were on capsized.

The trio – which included the missing man’s 44-year-old brother, also from Grasstree Beach, as well as a man from the Moreton Bay region – had activated an EPIRB just after 8.10pm on Thursday about 150km northeast of the Mackay coast.

The elder brother has said they tethered themselves to an esky after a wave reportedly capsized their 7m-long Goodwin Longboard vessel near Creal Reef.

But they became separated, with a Volunteer Marine Rescue crew pulling the eldest sibling out of the ocean on Friday, about 10 hours after the EPIRB activation.

RACQ CQ Rescue rescued a man from the water 170km offshore from Mackay after he and two others became lost at sea when their boat capsized on Thursday, April 13, 2023.

Later on Friday, a Townsville helicopter Rescue 500 crew found the Moreton Bay man – naked, hypothermic and without a lifejacket.

Both men were winched to safety into RACQ CQ Rescue Service helicopters and flown to Mackay Base Hospital, but there has been no further sightings since despite a sustained and extensive search and rescue effort.

VMR shared the search area for their third day trying to find a missing Mackay man. Photo: VMR

A Queensland Police Service update just before 6pm on Sunday stated a Townsville-based QG Air helicopter crew had spent Sunday surveying outlying reefs at low tide while five vessels formed a surface search party.

This included the QPS’ ‘Damian Leeding’ catamaran and Volunteer Marine Rescue vessels.

“(The search party) conducted an extensive and targeted search of around 100 square nautical miles of waters nearby points of interest, including where the rescued men, their vessel, EPIRB and eskies were found, without result,” QPS stated.

“Concentrated efforts took into account tidal patterns, with favourable conditions experienced throughout the day, which may begin to deteriorate overnight.

“Damian Leeding will remain at sea overnight and will recommence search activity at first light.

“Police continue to hold grave fears for the welfare of the missing 41-year-old Grasstree Beach man.”

Mackay Rescue 5 is one of four vessels searching for the missing Grasstree Beach man. Photo: VMR

Boaties and other recreational water users are being asked to immediately report any sightings to police.

VMR Mackay also posted an update on Sunday’s search efforts, advising that its crews had returned to Mackay.

“After a debrief at the VMR base, the volunteers were treated to a sausage sizzle and then went home for some much needed rest,” the Facebook post stated.

“VMR Mackay is on standby should they be required with the Damian Leeding remaining in the search area to continue in the morning (on Monday).”

Rescuers touch down at Mackay Base Hospital on Friday, April 14, after winching a man found clinging to an overturned boat 150km off the coast of Mackay.

VMR Mackay Rescue 5 and 6, as well as VMR Burdekin had formed part of the surface search party.

“These men, along with all of the people involved in this search prove that ‘true heroes do walk among us’,” VMR Mackay posted to Facebook on Sunday.

“Words cannot express how much we appreciate your efforts.”

VMR’s Mackay Rescue 5 had been the first vessel to arrive on the scene of the capsized boat after leaving Mackay on Thursday night.

“Shortly before 6am on Friday they located one of the men who was brought aboard MR 5,” a VRM spokesperson stated.

“The highly trained crew administered lifesaving first aid until paramedics could be winched down to take over, the man was stabilised then flown to Mackay Base Hospital.”

A search and rescue is under way for a missing boatie after an overturned vessel was found in waters off Mackay.

QPS had earlier stated the Australian Marine Safety Authority was supporting the surface search party with a fixed wing aircraft.

AMSA has since suspended its involvement in the search and rescue mission handing over co-ordination to QPS.

Mackay District Police Search and Rescue co-ordinator Senior Constable Sess Howard.

The missing man’s 44-year-old brother was spotted about 5.55am Friday by AMSA’s Challenger jet which had been performing an aerial search over the location.

A second man, a 43-year-old Bray Park man who is a friend of the brothers, was winched from the water about 11am Friday by the RACQ CQ Rescue.

The vessel, described as a 6.7m fibreglass hull centre console, similar to a banana boat, that had been registered to a parent of the brothers, left Mackay Harbour on Tuesday.

Senior Constable Sess Howard said it was believed the men had been on a recreational fishing trip and ended up at Creal Reef where the EPIRB was activated.

A spokeswoman for AMSA confirmed it had “now suspended the search for the third individual and passed co-ordination of the incident to the Queensland Police Service.”

Originally published as Search resumes for brother missing at Creal Reef