Lifejacket saves fisherman washed off rocks

A man was washed off rocks and fell 3m into the sea while fishing at Winnie Bay near Copacabana early on Saturday morning May 3.

Fortunately, he was wearing a lifejacket which kept him afloat until he was successfully rescued from the relatively secluded bay by surf lifesavers on jet skis who had launched to do a training run from Terrigal.

The man was brought ashore at Avoca where NSW Ambulance paramedics assessed and treated him for a broken arm.

NSW Director of Lifesaving Joel Wiseman said that after a spate of tragic drownings in NSW waters in recent weeks, lifesavers were heartened by the successful outcome of the incident, demonstrating how vital it was to wear a properly fitted buoyancy device.

“This shows how important it is to take all necessary safety precautions when heading out onto rock platforms and headlands,” he said.

“Rock fishing can be an extremely dangerous exercise but wearing a lifejacket gives you a much greater chance of survival if anything goes wrong. It buys you precious time for lifesavers to reach you.”