Men thrown into water after freak wave capsizes boat

A dramatic ocean rescue has unfolded off the Mindarie coast after two crayfishermen were thrown into the water and forced to cling to the bow of the vessel for more than an hour after it was hit by a rogue wave.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority tasked the RAC helicopter with the rescue after two men, one aged in his 80s and the other in his 60s, came into trouble about 5.5km off Mindarie about 7am on Tuesday morning.

According to the Department of Fire and Emergency Services, the pair were crayfishing when rope became caught in the boat’s propeller.

A “surprise” wave then caused the boat to overturn.

The men set off an EPIRB, alerting the rescue helicopter and sparking the rescue mission.

Footage from the helicopter shows the rescue crew dropping a cable to the pair and winching them one by one to safety.

“It’s under his arms now, waiting for the thumbs up,” one of the crew says during the rescue.

RAC Rescue pilot Andy Greenall said the search was initially for a beacon before finding the boat and the two fishermen clinging to the bow.

The men were in the water for more than an hour.

“They were getting tired, they were wet and cold obviously, they were struggling a bit,” he said.

“They were basically suffering from the early stages of hypothermia.”

Mr Greenall said the men were relieved when they were pulled to safety. He said it was a classic case of an EBIRP being used correctly.

“They are absolutely fanatic, particularly so if they are registered,” he said. “That saves us perhaps launching on some occasions, and saves the assets being used unnecessarily.

“But otherwise they’re very accurate, Canberra can pinpoint people very well and send us almost exactly to the position.”

The helicopter took the pair to its Jandakot base where the man aged in his 80s was taken by ambulance to Fiona Stanley Hospital where he is in a stable condition.

The vessel was towed to shore by Whitfords marine rescue.