Condolences to family and fishing mates.

Bloody dangerous the last long stretch before reaching Garths - 'running the gauntlet!'  Just under 4m swell today would have seen pretty much constant wash on this stretch of rock.

Have had the wash around the knees a couple of times before on low swell days.  There is no where to run if you are caught out though - scary stuff.

Condolences to all who knew the fellow, especially the guys with him. Its not what you expect to deal with when you wake up for a morning of fishing at Garths. It pulls my head in, makes me respect the sea more...one wave can take it all away from us - the sea doesnt care.

I was brought up fishing this coast, including this spot...Mum and Dad would always drill us on how dangerous it can be (is)...nevertheless, especially as i have gotten older i have always felt an arrogant "I'd be OK" kind of thought - have surfed alot etc so feel comfortable in the swell - but it aint the same in these places - no one is OK, such power in the waves, hardcore rocks/reef and wearing clothing. not to mention the remoteness, which from what i have read was a major factor in the bad end to the story. When these things happen, that arrogant part of me always thinks at first that the people who dont make it out of such experiences cant swim well, etc, but I know it is not the case - what can you do against 4m swell against the rocks like that? Anyone would be vulnerable, especially if you get hurt. this is a tragedy, another example of how easily it can happen. one bloody wave.

I vaguely remember as a kid, arriving at the Boundary Fence, another spot up there, near the homestead apparently only 20-30 minutes after a bloke got washed in - he was down on the ledge gaffing a fish and got washed off. It was a calm day, he just got a freak wave that was big enough to take him off his feet. In that 20-30mins, he had drifted too far offshore to see him - we could just see an esky that his mate - who was still there, frantic, had thrown in to him. The waves and currents are so strong you just have no chance. This guy also didnt make it - if i remember right, all for a spanish flag.

I've often seen people get down on the lower ledges, to gaff fish, retrieve snagged lures, and even just to get closer to the water, spinning or whatever. The water often looks low and calm enough to do it, but those freak waves can just come from nowhere. They arent really 'freak' waves anyway, they just happen as swells overlap and refract off the rocks, etc, etc so they happen all the time - they are just bigger waves out of sequence. Probably the key thing is that if you go in, and dont get smashed up in the process, and then cant get out again - even if you are a good swimmer, it is a long wait for help...jeez as i think about it I am remembering lots of near-miss stories too...sometimes we dance with fate when going for a fish. people getting washed off then washed back on, electronics failure when 40 mile offshore, hit an object when on the plane and get holed somewhere off some remote place...we are lucky to have remote places to fish, but they also play against us in these times...

Very sad news.

Ewan

my thoughts are defidently that of condolance . i have fished that rock heaps and know all to well how easily these tradgedies can happen. my misssus will not fish garths with me and has been reduced to tears previously trying to get there and back to fish with me .
such a beutiful place yet so so dangerous.

So the ABC newsradio said

my condolences to family and friends of this bloke who was taken unfortunately ,  doing something he loved.... .... it really drives home the dangers we face every time we go out to enjoy a few hours of fishing...and unfortunately the ones that are left behind to face the sickening news of losing some one close.....the remoteness of the place doesnt help in these situations and you need to have your wits about you at all times....but when a freak wave hits what can you do........i guess its the harsh reality of the beautiful yet rugged country we live in....
SO MANY FISH.....SO FEW SICKIES!

Last time I was at Quobba the Japanese tourist got washed off the day after I was there. This time the poor guys were washed off the day before. Maybe I should just stay away from Quobba. I spoke to the guys that rescued the young fellas, very sad story indeed. Haven't read the ABC link to see what their version of the story was, but there was a very somber feeling around the Pt Quobba camp. Still didn't stop quite a few hardy anglers from being out there the next day. Theres now life buoys at most of the popular fishing spots, so keep that in mind if you are fishing at those locations.

Thats good to know adam...are the buoys anchored to the bottom some how so you can swim to them?

Keep it tight, reeeeeeel tight!

They are on top of the rocks about 20m back from the cliff face, so if someone gets washed off then someone can throw them to them. Doesn't really help if all three get washed off thou. :(