Marine Rescue Sydney - Hoax distress calls are not a joke

by Simon Denneen on 29 Dec 2010 There are many hazards and dangers that the hapless boater can encounter.

Marine Rescue Terrey Hills coordinated the emergency services’ response to a swimmer who was injured by a stingray in the Cowan Creek area of Broken Bay last Thursday (23 December). The swimmer was transported to a waiting ambulance at Cottage Point by their sailing sloop.

Experience when boating can mean the difference between rescue and making it to the destination safely.
Experience came into play for the crew of a thirty-four foot yacht when they lost their steering en route to Sydney Harbour on Christmas Day. Having advised Marine Rescue Terrey Hills of their predicament they were able to jury rig a steering system that saw them safely to their destination at Clontarf. Marine Rescue crews at Middle Harbour remained on standby until the yacht arrived safely.

The annual onset of the 'silly season' unfortunately means a marked increase in hoax distress calls.

Marine Rescue Terrey Hills received a distress (MAYDAY) call in the early hours (2:16 am) of Monday, 27 December. All distress calls are received in good faith and the duty operator immediately followed procedures by relaying the information to nearby vessels, plotting the vessel’s position and informing the Water Police. The position given was found to be inland and the duty operator was unable to reestablish contact with the vessel. The Rescue Coordination Centre in Canberra confirmed there were no EPIRB activations. 'False distress calls are both dangerous and a waste of resources,' said Marine Rescue Terrey Hills Unit Commander Ron Woosey. 'In this instance Marine Rescue, Water Police and the Rescue Coordination Centre in Canberra all took the required steps to render assistance, costing hours in wasted time and effort.' Commander Woosey reminds the boating public that intentionally making a false distress call is a criminal offence and can result in rescue resources being diverted away from bona fide incidents. Parents are also reminded to ensure that children are not allowed to play with or around vessel radios.

Logging-on with Marine Rescue not only gives a skipper a life-line should they fail to report in or arrive at a destination but it also gives family members ashore peace of mind. On Tuesday (28 December) evening a family member contacted Marine Rescue Terrey Hills concerned for the welfare of a person on board a vessel. Records indicated that the vessel had not logged-on and despite efforts by the duty operator to call the vessel on the radio they were unable to establish contact. Several hours later the same family member contacted Marine Rescue to advise the person had made contact by phone. 'By logging-on Marine Rescue always knows a vessel’s last known position, destination and estimated time of arrival. This can be a great relief to concerned family members who may not have heard from their loved ones due to poor mobile phone reception at sea,' said Commander Woosey. 'Marine Rescue’s extensive radio coverage footprint and CompassTrack electronic tracking system ensures that once a vessel is logged-on we can keep an eye on and communicate with that vessel.'

Marine Rescue NSW website http://www.marinerescuensw.com.au

Marine Rescue Terrey Hills is known as Marine Rescue Sydney.