April, with the Easter break, proved to be a busy period for Coast Guard Noosa, seeing a number of requests for assistance and medical evacuations.
The Bar was for the most part crossable, with the exception of several days where it was rough and unpredictable.
The month also highlighted that the Noosa River mouth and Bar are becoming increasingly hazardous to navigate and they’re seeing an increasing number of vessels, both recreational and commercial, running aground whilst attempting to cross the river entrance.
Flotilla Commander Ian Hutchings said recently two commercial vessels ran aground and both sustained engine damage.
“This illustrates the reason that we are specifying a diesel jet boat as a replacement for our primary rescue vessel,“ he said.
One of the 17 requests for assistance and medical evacuation included a visit to a houseboat in the Noosa River.
The Coast Guard team transported two paramedics to the scene and then assisted them to extricate a man who had experienced a medical episode and required transporting to hospital for a check-up.
They were also asked to assist in the medical evacuation of an injured person at St John’s Landing by the QAS. The vessel managed to get itself back to Tewantin where the patient was attended to by paramedics so no further assistance was required.
Flotilla Commander Ian Hutchings said they also received a call for assistance from a jet ski off Teewah Beach that had run out of fuel.
A Cobolt 26’ cruiser was also grounded on a sandbar in the vicinity of the Bar and North Shore. The vessel had to be recovered on the next high tide.
Early planning has started for the celebration of Coast Guard Noosa’s 50th anniversary in late 2024.
“We are grateful to our small team of sponsors for their ongoing support of our service to the community and thank you for your ongoing support,“ Mr Hutchings said.
