Fishermen survived for 15 hours by clinging to esky
Posted
The three men were winched to safety after swimming 22 kilometres. (RACQ: File photo)
Three fisherman, who were rescued off the central Queensland coast this morning after their boat sank, have told how they survived by clinging to an esky.
Just after 7.00pm (AEST) yesterday the trio's boat began to sink eight nautical miles south-east of Flat Island.
One of them managed to call 000 and raise the alarm but the boat went down in 30 seconds.
The three men then spent 15 hours in the water after a search through the night failed to find any sign of them as their families feared the worst.
After swimming 22 kilometres relying on the esky the men were found at 10.00am today and were winched to safety by a rescue helicopter.
From his hospital bed in Rockhampton 26-year-old Mark Simms says it was a fishing adventure gone horribly wrong.
"We had the esky and figured out there was no bung in it so I had to stick my finger into it and we couldn't pull my finger out because there was bait in it and we were scared it would attract sharks," he said.
Tony Minns, 26, said the trio were desperate not to fall asleep.
"We just kept each other company by talking and singing songs and yeah we had to push some people to stay awake."
Kay Becker from the Capricorn Helicopter Rescue Service says the men have mild hypothermia.
"They all were able to walk from the aircraft quite willingly were all speaking very fluently they are very lucky and I guess youth was on their side," she said.
The three men have now been reunited with their families.
