A 41-year-old man has been plucked from the upturned hull of his capsized boat in waters off Rottnest Island after a massive, five-hour night-time search in tough conditions.
Dani Grogan posted a desperate call for help on social media on Friday night, asking for assistance in finding her partner, who appeared to have activated his emergency beacon off The Basin.
She said a flare had also been set off sometime between 5.20pm and 6pm.
Hours later, she announced on the same platform that he had been found by air, “safe and well”.
Police provided details of the dramatic search and rescue effort on Saturday, saying it involved multiple emergency services including the RAC Rescue helicopter, volunteer marine rescue groups and the Australian Border Force.
Police received a report about 6pm that a vessel was in distress and taking on water, and there was a second notification of the EPIRB activation by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority in Canberra.
The man was found sitting on the upturned hull of his vessel by police air wing officers about 11pm, five hours later.
Footage of the man’s rescue showed his boat was all but underwater, save for a small portion of the hull on which he patiently waited for emergency services.
“A marine rescue vessel was directed to the location and rescued the man from the water,” police said in a statement.
“The man was wearing a life jacket and was uninjured. He was conveyed to shore by Fremantle Marine Rescue where he was reunited with his family.”
Police said the incident was a timely reminder for those heading out on the water to always wear a life jacket, and carry a registered and up-to-date EPIRB with GPS-enabled tracking to alert authorities to emergencies.
Conditions were tough for the searchers, who battled high swells and gusty winds.
