Emergency highlights hazards of inflatables on Tuggerah Lakes
Marine Rescue Tuggerah Lakes has prevented a potential tragedy in a rescue operation that has highlighted an emerging safety problem with inflatable watercraft on the lakes.
The look on the relieved mother’s face when she saw the crew of TL 21 made all our preparations, training and planning worthwhile.
Last summer, six rattled young boys who had blown into the middle of Tuggerah Lake on a motley collection of unseaworthy boats and inflatables were rescued by the crew of Tuggerah Lakes 21.
A more recent incident could have had a tragic ending, with TL 21 despatched to locate a mother and her two-year-old child who had been missing for a few hours in an inflatable dinghy.
The pair had started their paddle in calm waters but soon were blown more than 2km across the lakes in a strong wind.
The unit’s radio base was alerted to the woman’s plight by her husband. With Bob Blue on radio duty, the rescue crew – skipper Bob Sutton, Danny Knight and trainee Anthony Hollingworth, on only his second day – rapidly put together a search plan starting at the location of the dinghy’s last sighting.
Fifteen minutes into the search, TL 21 located the dinghy, finding the exhausted mother lying over her toddler, who was only wearing a disposable nappy and hat, to protect her from the sun.
After her desperate paddling against the wind, the mum could hardly raise her arms.
Once the pair were safely on board TL 21, it emerged that at one stage, she had entered the water and tried to swim the craft rather than continue trying to paddle.
If she had lost hold of the craft, she would have been separated from her daughter.
With neither wearing a lifejacket and only limited sun protection, Marine Rescue’s intervention averted a potential tragedy.
The look on the relieved mother’s face when she saw the crew of TL 21 made all our preparations, training and planning worthwhile.
The pair was safely returned to land. Well done to all the members who reunited this young family.
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