Two die in separate drownings across Victoria

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Two of state's most popular summer holiday destinations are grappling with separate drownings in a horror day on Victorian waters. The first happened at Barwon Heads on the Bellarine peninsula when a simple fishing trip turned deadly.

Transcript

00:00 A boat upside down on the shoreline of Raffs Beach at Ocean Grove.

00:05 Emergency services workers are on the sand.

00:08 This is the scene of a summer tragedy.

00:10 So it's really sad.

00:11 We saw the boat upturned earlier on.

00:12 Yeah, it's tough.

00:13 These are our people.

00:14 It's an absolute tragedy.

00:15 Two mates going for a fish took off in this tinny from Ocean Grove at 6.30am.

00:25 Less than 30 minutes later, they were in trouble.

00:27 They've headed out through the river mouth at Barwon Heads and come across some large

00:32 waves.

00:33 Unfortunately, the boat has capsized as a result.

00:36 Both men were in the water.

00:37 A 61-year-old Moriak man managed to get on top of the boat.

00:41 His mate, a 66-year-old from Anglesea, was trapped under the tinny.

00:46 We believe he was entangled in some rope or possibly some of the anchor roping.

00:50 And he wasn't able to free himself and the surviving fisherman wasn't able to assist

00:54 him to get him out either.

00:56 Three members of the public on jet skis arrived a short time later.

01:00 They brought the younger man to shore with only minor injuries.

01:04 Sadly, the 66-year-old was unresponsive.

01:07 He died at the scene, the 19th fatal drowning this summer.

01:12 Ocean Grove is a very safe, family-friendly beach.

01:15 And for this to happen here, it's a tragedy all round.

01:18 Today, surf lifesavers were patrolling the river mouth at Barwon Heads.

01:22 Conditions early this morning were choppy and the swell was larger than normal.

01:27 Because the water pools with the tides, it can get hard to negotiate at times.

01:32 It's a good tuna area that they have out here.

01:34 So there's a lot of boats that were going out through the heads, but a lot of boats

01:38 didn't want to go out because of the size of the waves.

01:41 Hours later, a scuba diver was pulled from the water at Rye on the Mornington Peninsula

01:45 near the pier at 10am.

01:47 He was given CPR but couldn't be revived.

01:50 As thousands are enjoying the warmer weather at Victoria's beaches and popular holiday

01:56 spots, authorities are again at pains to emphasise you can never be too safe around the water.

02:02 It's just a reminder obviously this time of year, make sure you're wearing your life jackets,

02:06 look after your friends and family out in the water.

02:08 If there's lifeguards on duty, swim between the flags.

02:10 A plea for safety first.

02:12 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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