A marine search has resumed for a fisherman who slipped off rocks in a remote national park in south-eastern Western Australia.
Police said the 36-year-old man slipped off the rocks while fishing near the mouth of the Thomas River, 150km east of Esperance in Cape Arid National Park, just after 2pm on Saturday.
The missing fisherman was with a relative at the time and he has not been seen since.
Boats, jet-skis and aircraft are searching the area, while SES volunteers are searching along nearby beaches.
WA Police said the search would continue throughout the day.
Tragedy averted in Albany
Meanwhile, tragedy was avoided on Saturday in Albany when a rock fisher who was swept into the ocean was saved by a bystander.
The 29-year old woman had been fishing on the rocky edge of Salmon Holes in Torndirrup National Park when she fell in.
The woman, who was wearing a life jacket, was able to stay afloat and a member of the public dove in to retrieve her, successfully pulling her out of the water with the help of another bystander who pulled them in with a rope.
Albany Sea Rescue operations coordinator Chris Johns was called to the emergency with his team, but the woman was saved before he arrived.
He commended the member of the public for his bravery.
“The most wonderful thing here is the credit that should be given to that person that aided from the beach,” he said.
“Someone’s going in to help another human being, and that’s just simply outstanding.”
Mr Johns said his sea rescue group had been warning people to avoid rock fishing at dangerous locations such as Salmon Holes for decades.
The site has a notorious history, with 13 rock fishers dying there since 1983.
Yesterday’s conditions were far from the most intense that they can be, Mr Johns said.
“We’ve recovered people, searched for people on days when it’s been like a suburban swimming pool, to days with 6-8 metre swells coming near,” he said.
“It can be an absolute cauldron out there.”
Life jackets ‘common sense’
A coronial inquest following the deaths of three men in 2015 and 2016 led to life jackets being mandatory for fishers at the site since 2019.
Mr Johns said the rule has been contentious with some fishers, but yesterday’s rescue showed why it was needed.
“Rock fishing is so inherently dangerous, with the amount of bodies we have had to recover in this area, that wearing a PFD (personal flotation device) is just common sense,” he said.
Coastal safety has been a major concern for Esperance locals too, with tragedies prompting discussions about what more can be done to prevent other fatalities.
The Esperance Coastal Safety group has been educating the public about the importance of staying off dangerous rocks, using the right protective gear and using ropes when fishing
Eighteen people have lost their lives off the Esperance coast since 2010.