Latest news with #missingfisherman
News.com.au
3 days ago
- News.com.au
‘No one was on board': Rescue abandoned after grim discovery
An urgent search for missing fisherman Geoff Buchanan has been abandoned after his boat was discovered almost 150km out to sea unmanned and drifting aimlessly. Emergency services were called to Batemans Bay Marina about 8pm on Saturday after the 56-year-old Sussex Inlet man failed to return from a daylong fishing trip. About 1.20pm on Tuesday, Australian Maritime Safety Authority's Challenger aircraft found the fisherman's empty boat east of Narooma. Nearby commercial fishing boats assisted in stabilising the drifting cruiser amid choppy sea conditions. The vessel is being towed back to shore. Police were informed that Mr Buchanan had departed the marina about 6am aboard an eight-metre Arvor cruiser. He was last spoken to about 10am. When he didn't return as expected, concerns were raised and emergency services were notified about 7.20pm. A search operation was launched by the Marine Area Command, with support from South Coast Police District officers, Marine Rescue NSW and AMSA. The search area was expanded significantly, stretching from Port Stephens in the north to the Victorian border in the south. NSW Police marine area command officer detective chief inspector Anthony Brazzill said Mr Buchanan suffered from diabetes and police had not ruled out the possibility he suffered a medical episode onboard. 'The gentleman does have health issues managing diabetes that we're extremely concerned about … we understand he had the medication,' Inspector Brazzill said. 'But if something did happen where he had an episode and couldn't get to his medication, that is our grave concern.' Mr Chaffey said Mr Buchanan had been planning to fish for tuna near the continental shelf and potentially stop for a dive on the way back on Saturday. '(Mr Buchanan) was very safety conscious,' he said. 'He always lets the marina know where he's going, when he's going.' A close friend of Mr Buchanan, and manager of the Batemans Bay d'Albora marina, Mitch Chaffey, told the ABC Mr Buchanan was a highly experienced waterman. 'Geoff's been around the water his whole life, very experienced in the water and on the water, fisherman, skin diver, who knows his way around a boat,' Mr Chaffey said.
ABC News
3 days ago
- ABC News
Search for missing Sussex Inlet fisher Geoff Buchanan suspended after empty boat located
The search for missing fisherman Geoff Buchanan off the New South Wales coast has been suspended after his empty boat was recovered by authorities. A multi-agency search for Mr Buchanan started on Saturday evening after the Sussex Inlet man failed to return to the Batemans Bay marina. It is believed the 56-year-old was heading towards the continental shelf to catch tuna. About 1:20pm on Tuesday, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority's (AMSA) aircraft located the boat about 80 nautical with east of Narooma. No one was on board. Police said fisherman on board a nearby commercial fishing vessels helped stop the boat in challenging conditions. The boat, a white, 8-metre Avor motor cruiser, will be towed to shore. Police said patrols by Marine Area Command would continue in the coming days. A close friend of Mr Buchanan, and manager of the Batemans Bay d'Albora marina, Mitch Chaffey, said Mr Buchanan was a highly experienced waterman. "Geoff's been around the water his whole life, very experienced in the water and on the water, fisherman, skin diver, who knows his way around a boat," Mr Chaffey said. NSW Police Marine Area Command officer Detective Chief Inspector Anthony Brazzill said Mr Buchanan was a diabetic and police had not ruled out the possibility he suffered a medical episode on board. "The gentleman does have health issues managing diabetes that we're extremely concerned about … we understand he had the medication," Inspector Brazzill said. The search, which was initially focused between Narooma and Bermagui, was expanded on Monday to between Port Stephens and the Victorian border after unconfirmed sightings of the vessel by the public. Inspector Brazzill said using drift modelling, the search area was expanded again on Tuesday to cover 9,200 square nautical miles from Port Stephens to Bass Strait. However, he said there had been a particular focus further out to sea from the south coast of New South Wales on Tuesday. Mr Chaffey said Mr Buchanan had been planning to fish for tuna near the continental shelf and potentially stop for a dive on the way back on Saturday. He said Mr Buchanan was meant to be on the boat with his friend that day but the friend could not make it. "[Mr Buchanan] was very safety conscious," he said. Police said the Australian Maritime Safety Authority Challenger jet, military aircraft, marine rescue and surf life saving vessels had been involved in the search.
ABC News
4 days ago
- ABC News
Search area expanded after fisher goes missing from Batemans Bay
A multi-agency search for a missing fisherman has been expanded to include about half of the New South Wales coastline. Marine Rescue vessels have been deployed between Port Stephens and the Victorian border to search for the man, who departed from Batemans Bay Marina at about 6am on Saturday. It is believed the 56-year-old was heading towards the continental shelf to catch tuna. In a statement NSW Police said the search was expanded on Monday afternoon "following unconfirmed sightings of the vessel by members of the public". Authorities have not verified any sightings of the man and his eight-metre-long Arvor cruiser vessel since the search commenced on Saturday evening. Marine Rescue Inspector Stuart Massey said up to 30 volunteers had been on the water during some days of the search. "When they were first out there they were out there till after midnight, then a lot of those crews backed up again the next morning," he said. "They are determined to get back out there and do their bit, but they've been working incredibly long hours out there." Inspector Massey said conditions on Monday morning were favourable for crews searching near Narooma and Bermagui. "There's not a great deal of swell or wind out there … that's making it a little bit more comfortable for the crews," he said. The search has been led by the NSW Police Marine Area Command alongside Marine Rescue and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA). Multiple interstate aircraft are also involved, according to AMSA. Police have not confirmed the identity of the fisherman.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Boats, aircraft helping in search for missing fisherman
Rescue boats have navigated around whales and helicopters have taken to the skies as a search for a missing fisherman who failed to return after a day trip to sea ramps up. Emergency services were called to the Batemans Bay Marina, on the NSW south coast, on Saturday night after a 56-year-old man was reported missing. The man left the marina about 6am in an eight-metre Arvor cruiser for a day's fishing trip. He was spoken to about 10am but has not been heard from since. When he failed to return to the marina on Saturday evening, emergency services were called in to try and find him. Marine Area Command and Marine Rescue NSW crews, a fixed-wing aircraft and a helicopter searched offshore waters until nearly 1am, but neither the man nor his boat was found. "The Marine Rescue Batemans Bay and Bermagui crews said sea conditions were favourable last night, but it was quite dark with little assistance from the moon, and they had to navigate around numerous whales," Marine Rescue NSW Inspector Stuart Massey said. The search restarted on Sunday with dozens of volunteers, six boats, aircraft and Surf Life Saving NSW deployed to help find the man. Insp Massey said sea conditions are favourable again on Sunday morning with good visibility for the volunteers scouring the ocean for the missing man. "They are searching an area offshore from just north of Narooma to south of Bermagui under the direction of Marine Area Command and will continue to do so until otherwise instructed," he said.
