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The body of a man reported missing off the Gold Coast has been found by police divers.
Key points:
- Police divers have located the body of a missing man off the Gold Coast
- The man swam to retrieve his vessel earlier this morning, which had floated away in rough conditions
- A report will be prepared for the coroner
According to Surf Lifesaving Queensland, a father and son had been yabbying off Wave Break Island when their boat came adrift and floated away.
It is believed the father swam into rough conditions to retrieve it.
“The boat has got away and the father has gone to swim after the boat and unfortunately the son has seen the father disappear and not come back up,” he said.
An extensive air, land and sea search was launched around 6:30am to find the 52-year-old Gatton man.
Police divers found the man’s body at the bottom of the Broadwater at Labrador around 9:20am.
The man’s next of kin have been informed and a report will be prepared for the coroner.
“It’s a very sad event, [rescue teams] did a great job this morning, they did their best, it’s an absolute tragedy for everyone involved,” Mr Fife said.
“But I suppose it is a reminder that our waterways can be very dangerous.
“Please look out for each other and take care.”
Warning as Australia Day looms
Mr Fife warned beachgoers to be extra cautious with Australia Day approaching and many people likely to descend on Gold Coast beaches for celebrations.
“So please make sure you’ve tagged down your boat, or ring police or coast guard because there are resources there that can help when something like this happens.
“Leading up to Australia Day, enjoy the beaches but please do it safely, we don’t want people taking that risk, we’ve seen people take them too often — whether it’s swimming at night or outside patrolled hours, swimming alone.
“We want people to look out for each other, pull each other up on it if someone is trying to take a risk.”
