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Bluefish Point fatality - apparently man was fishing alone?


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http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8459726

The body of a rock fisherman has been discovered near Manly on Sydney's northern beaches.

The 40-year-old man was found in water off North Head by marine police about 9.30pm (AEST) on Monday.

His wife had raised the alarm an hour earlier and a sea and air search was done.

Police believe the man was fishing on his own off the rocks at Blue Fish Point, near the northern mouth of Sydney Harbour.

He was pulled on board a water police boat and attempts were made to revive him, before paramedics tried unsuccessfully to save him at Manly Wharf.

A formal identification has been conducted.

The man was wearing an orange flotation device, which helped officers find him.

There were no suspicious circumstances and a coronial report is being prepared.

report says he had a floatation device?

maybe a sports crash helmet (like snowboarders etc use) might be required if you are going to risk fishing in such a dangerous place?

RIP.

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This is another sad incident that could have been avoided.

Fishing alone on the rocks is never ok not even on a flat calm day! You can still slip and break a bone and be stranded. Another life lost. Condolences to the family.

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Hi Raiders,

this unfortunate incident is a timely reminder of how precarious this spot is and is one of those places that can turn ugly quickly in a weather change. It can only go to show take all precautions possible and use common sense.

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Not much info. doesn't say he was washed in and drowned or if he had a heart attack and fell in or whatever. Had he not been wearing a flotation device, then he would most likely have been another disappearance off the rocks. I have pulled in a number of floating bodies, sadly a week or more after they disappear. They nearly always float at some stage after death. A real grief and distressing incident for all involved.

Edited by stormy
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  • 4 years later...

I fish alone most of the time,sometimes i am lucky to have a friend come with me but 90% i am alone.

I wear a life jacket,I wear cleats,I wear bright fluro clothes that if I go in I will be able to swim or float in,like shorts/t-shirt,light clothing,i tell someone where i will be fishing and what time im expected to be home,if im late i ring them.

Hitting your head on rocks when going in is a big possibility ,wearing some sort of head protection has crossed my mind several times,after having my hands full and stumbling up out of a running gutter up on to a ledge,thinking to myself had i fallen forward and cracked my head on the rocks i would have been knocked out and floating down the gutter,probably face first but to wear this and life jackets and clothing in the hot sun whilst fishing would be a task and a half and in the end you would probably die from dehydration first,i already have a hard time trying to stay cool.

Anyway my point is if i can't fish alone then I would never be able to fish.

Fishing alone and fishing alone in remote unpopulated areas are both different.

Maybe you think i am a little crazy but at the end of the day you can take as many precations as you want ,sometimes spit happens ,yes you minimize the risk but how far do we want to go,should we get all padded up to the point where it would be impossible to fish to minimize the risk,common sense and knowledge of the weather/ocean conditions and know when to go and not to go are very important,more so than any saftey gear but accidents still happen no matter how cautious you are.

I just want to add this.

anyone who fishes in jeans or heavy clothing items or shoes, off the rocks,off the wharf,off a boat is crazier than the one fishing alone,has anyone tried to float or swim with jeans on ? or heavy shoes and clothing,its like trying to swim with a potato sack over you or a heavy net.

You may not agree with what i am saying here but this is how i see the situation from my view and experiences.

Maybe the local councils will make a new law to stop people from fishing alone and then the popular fishing industry that feeds off tackle shops and anything to do with fishing will go broke.

and so on and so on hahahaha :D

Randwick Council the leaders in the fight to ensure all fisherman follow safety precations and are doing all they can to prevent rock fishing drownings to the point where if they had there way they would probably make their area a marine park and stop fishing altogether,they dont care about us they only care about legal liability and the reputation of their area,next time your fishing in one of those spots in Randwick councils precinct,look to see if their is a Angel Ring,I know several spots where they are missing and have been missing for along time,I contacted the Angel Ring people directly involved in this Angel Ring project and emailed the locations where they are missing almost 6 months ago,its all a gimmick they dont give a hoot,no reply and still missing.

all a publicity stunt,to make people and legal liability chasers think they are doing all they can to prevent deaths in their area,they dont care if you drown as long as they dont look bad and wash their hands of any legal liability.

Angel Ring Project I contacted these people via email several months ago and reported a few locations where the Angel Ring had been missing for a long time,still no response and my email address is still the same and the rings are still missing,I guarantee they get local council money to maintain and install these rings,so whose the lazy one not doing his job in the worst area for rock fishing drownings in the Randwick council area ?

cause the ones i reported are in their area !

http://angelrings.com.au/

reports that they have a rep inspect the rings every 2 months,so whats happened here then ?

someone being lazy and not doing their job or they trying to pretend to be seen as doing as much as they can when their actually not ?

My thinking is i think Randwick council will eventually make its area a marine park,a no fishing area as a way to stop fishing deaths in its area and i will bet you any money if they get away with this then other councils will follow.They are using this area as a test case and are building their evidence as to why it should be turned into a marine park/no fishing zone,(building their case)

Conspiracy theory,maybe but it looks suspect.

How about the RMS and local councils get off their butts and go down to these dangerous fishing locations and do random checks and starting enforcing the life jacket rules.

I have only ever seem one guy a few years ago when the fishing licence first came out.

They need to get down and regularly check for fishing offences including under size fish.I see all the time people keeping under sized fish and these are normally the ones without life jackets or cleats fishing off the rocks,we all know who they are,we see them all the time.

I see people everytime i go fishing,they wear jeans/heavy rain coats/jumpers etc/no cleats ,no life jacket and in rough dangerous areas and keeping under size fish,these are your 90% drowning stats thats causing the problems and the councils and emergency services to go onto panic mode,start enforcing the law now.

 

Edited by mrsswordfisherman
No targeting of particular races or groups please
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Hi DMG, you've certainly taken the bull by the horns with this one mate.

Many of societies "problems" are being overly affected by INSURANCE COMPANIES. These (necessary) pariahs of society have forced their will into all avenues of society. Their clients are being panicked by increased premiums, reduced (potential) payouts and (subsequently), additional onus to prove they are doing everything possible, to minimize risk. We have become a society where we are being controlled by big banks, insurance companies and corporations. It is already too late to prevent this snowball from rolling down the hill. Randwick Council are being manipulated and are in panic mode, petrified to have any more fatalities occur in their jurisdiction. So what do they do?

You are obviously a very keen rock fisho and take all due care to ensure your survival when you go fishing. You rightly point out that many others do NOT do the right thing. Just like driving your car...you are penalised, if you are a good driver, by the actions of the idiots on the road.. The same happens here.

We will never get rid of all the idiots on the road, nor will we ever get rid of the people who, through ignorance, become statistics while rock fishing.

I'm not sure there is an answer to the issue mate. We all see it every day...the actions of the few, adversely impacting on the lives of the many.

I enjoyed reading your article and can feel your frustration. You just want to be able to go out and enjoy your rock fishing in an environment where you have taken all possible steps to avoid becoming a statistic, yourself. Unfortunately the authorities, responsible for that environment, can't trust your good judgement and "pigeon hole" you with those who are reckless and irresponsible.

I guess you'll just have to enjoy doing it while you can mate. Yesterday is history, tomorrow isn't guaranteed...so enjoy today...and go catch some fish! Cheers, BN

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Sorry but sometimes i get passionate about it and like i said i reported the Angel rings missing 6 months ago and nothing done about it to date.

Yes i love my rock fishing and i myself was one of those people who in my younger days survived a fall into The Murk at Bondi.

anyway it just hits a nerve in me :1sorry:

 

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13 hours ago, DMG said:

Sorry but sometimes i get passionate about it and like i said i reported the Angel rings missing 6 months ago and nothing done about it to date.

Yes i love my rock fishing and i myself was one of those people who in my younger days survived a fall into The Murk at Bondi.

anyway it just hits a nerve in me :1sorry:

 

Geez mate don't be sorry for standing up for what you're passionate about. I admire and respect you for being a dedicated angler. Just continue to keep safe and putting the posts of your successes up on here. Cheers, Neil

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