Woman and her stepson saved after drifting 10km at sea following Christmas paddleboarding gone wrong
Exhausted and shaken paddleboarders who narrowly avoided tragedy after drifting into open waters have praised their saviours, who have faced a busy Christmas rescuing six people.
The duo launched from Portarlington caravan park jetty, west of Geelong in Victoria, about 3pm on Christmas Day.
Conditions in the water quickly deteriorated however and the 51-year-old woman and her stepson, 17, soon drifted into the bay, reports The Herald Sun.
Rescue crews sprung to action after another family member raised the alarm when the pair failed to return after 5pm.
Local police, aerial units, lifesavers and a coastguard team scoured the waters before a rescue helicopter spotted the pair.
Footage, published by Victoria Police, shows the moment the pair were approached by emergency services as they lay flat on their paddleboards and waved for help.
They were not wearing lifejackets and had been swept more than 10km before being pulled from the water at Wyndham Harbour.
The family expressed their thanks and commended the efforts of those involved in their rescue in a statement on Friday.
A 51-year-old woman and her stepson, 17, were rescued after drifting 10km out into the waters west of Geelong, Victoria, about 3pm on Christmas Day
Water Police said the pair would have almost certainly died if they had drifted away from their paddleboards while stuck at sea
The pair were afloat for three hours before rescuers were able to recover them
‘We are so grateful for the outcome but still trying to come to terms with how quickly a beautiful, carefree afternoon turned into an almost tragedy,’ they said.
‘We are exhausted, very shaken and feel so lucky we were able to stay together.
‘We commend the efforts of all the agencies involved. The decisive and quick action led not only to our rescue, but our survival.’
It was only thanks to the ‘really intricate, good technology’ onboard their advanced helicopters which allowed officials to track down the lost duo, Water Police Acting Senior Sergeant Michael Quirk said.
The woman and teen were ‘extremely relieved’ when rescuers finally found them.
‘There’s no doubt their lives were saved during this incident,’ Mr Quirk said.
In another incident, a mother and her two teenage daughters were winched to safety by a rescue helicopter after encountering difficulty while kayaking.
They were trying to retrieve a kayak adrift near the Corinella jetty, southeast of Melbourne, when the current and strong winds swept them from shore. The women had lifejackets on and did not suffer any injuries.
‘Kayaking requires constant awareness and good decision-making. Conditions can change quickly,’ Life Saving Victoria said.
In a third Christmas rescue, a 41-year-old man missing for about two hours was spotted by searchers on Lake King in Paynesville, east Gippsland, just before 3pm.
He was seen struggling before his kayak rolled, then picked up by the coastguard and returned unharmed to shore.
