The 56-year-old fisherman and his boat (an 8-metre Arvor cruiser) remain missing off the NSW coastline. Photo: Facebook.
The search area for a fisherman missing from the NSW South Coast has been expanded in multiple directions.
Emergency services were called to Batemans Bay Marina about 8 pm on Saturday (19 July), after a 56-year-old fisherman failed to return from a day’s fishing trip.
Marine Area Command (MAC) immediately launched a search operation, with assistance from officers attached to South Coast Police District, Marine Rescue NSW and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA).
Their search entered its third day today (21 July), as crews continued covering the waters from Ulladulla to Merimbula up to 12 nautical miles (22 kilometres) offshore.
As of Monday afternoon, the search area has expanded north up to Port Stephens (in the Hunter region) and south to the Victorian border.
According to NSW Police, this follows unconfirmed sightings of the vessel by members of the public.
Police say a 56-year-old man had left the marina at 6 am on Saturday morning in an 8-metre Arvor cruiser.
He was spoken to at about 10 am, but when he failed to return, emergency services were alerted at about 7:20 pm, and a multi-agency search started.
The search continues with Marine Area Command, Marine Rescue NSW, Surf Lifesaving and AMSA’s Challenger aircraft participating.
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers by calling 1800 333 000 or visiting its website. Information is treated in strict confidence.
