Caught in a rip Israeli tourist sucked nearly 3km out to sea

26.03.2010

A MYSTERIOUS message
written in the sand sparked a
full-scale land, air and sea
search at Evans Head yesterday.
The touching tribute at the
base of North Wall read,
`good bye our son' and was
discovered by a couple out
walking at about 7.45am, just
after they had spotted a man
entering the water and
`swimming off towards
Broadwater'.
After losing sight of the
swimmer, who had been
caught in a rip, they feared
the writing may have been a
suicide note and reported it
at about gam to the Evans
Head Coast Guard, who then
notified police.
With the spate of recent
drownings, the combined
emergency services were
taking no chances and swung
quickly into action.
Evans Head Surf Life Saving
Club volunteers launched
an inflatable rescue boat
within six minutes, and a second
boat about 20 minutes
later.
Both boats began searching
the rips and channels
close to shore along Main
Beach and Airforce Beach.
Police called in the Westpac
Rescue Helicopter at
9.35am, which launched within
five minutes with a paramedic
and rescue swimmer
onboard, and the Ballina Jet
Rescue Boat which was on
the scene by 10am.
NSW Ambulance duty officer
Glen Eady dispatched
another two paramedics
from Evans Head.
Jet boat captain Gary Meredith
said he also dispatched
a jet ski and 4WD by
road.
"Conditions were ideal and
it was a quick run down to
Evans," he said.
"We came in from the
north end and joined in the
chopper's search pattern.
"From the currents we
guessed he may have been
out a fair way so we searched
along the tide line while the
rubber duckies concentrated
close to shore."
Westpac Rescue Helicopter
crew chief Roger Fry said
they had enough fuel for a
one-hour search.
"We tracked a north-south
route from the beach to about
3 kms off the coast," he said.
Just after 11am when the
chopper returned to Lismore,
the Coast Guard launched its
vessel and began searching
further out to sea.
Police duty officer Inspector
Bill McKenna said the
swimmer was an Israeli national
on holidays visiting relatives.
He presented himself
to police about 11.30am having
got himself out of trouble
and has since returned to
Brisbane.
He said to police, `I think
you are looking for me'.
Insp McKenna said the
man had got caught in a rip
and swept about 2.5kms out
but was a strong swimmer
and had done all the right
things.