Pair rescued from ocean off WA’s south coast

A pair of fishermen were rescued from the ocean yesterday after their boat began to take on water off the coast of Albany.

An emergency position-indicating radio beacon was set off by the two men just after 6am, sparking a search and rescue involving Albany Sea Rescue and police.

The fishermen were near Stony Island, off the Albany coast, and were towed to Hartmans Beach near Cosy Corner.

Albany Sea Rescue operations co-ordinator Chris Johns said the men had experienced mechanical problems but were found by rescuers safe and well just before 8am.

“From a distance it looked like it was an upturned boat but really it was so laden and only a little dinghy,” he said. Mr Johns said without the EPIRB, rescuers would have struggled to find the men, who were thankful rescuers arrived when they did.

“It worked and we got a positive signal on him,” he said.

“That (EPIRB) was a bloody godsend as we would have had a 20-mile radius to look for them.”

Mr Johns said appropriate safety equipment such as EPIRBs and working radios were crucial.

“That’s the lesson here,” he said.