Cray boat rescues man swept out to sea off Port Lincoln, South Australia

A fishing boat came to the rescue of an unidentified adult male tourist who had spent nearly an hour in the waters off the South Australia city of Port Lincoln after he was swept by strong waves off some rocks on the coast on Tuesday, December 3.

The distressed individual was picked up some 400 metres from the shoreline of Whaler’s Way near Port Lincoln by the crew of a passing cray boat at around 17:45 local time. A helicopter and some other vessels had also arrived to render assistance, though the cray boat was the first to get close enough to effect a successful rescue.

Eyewitnesses said the tourist had been treading water in an attempt to return to shore on his own when the cray boat arrived.

The area where the tourist had been swept away has become notorious for its unpredictable swells.

A total of six people have died after being swept out to sea in the same area. This figure includes a man and his five-year-old daughter, both Chinese nationals, who drowned in those waters in April of this year.