International Tourist Rescued From Tasman Sea After Falling Off a Cliff

 

A European man in his 20s has been rescued after falling from a cliff into the ocean walking towards Mount Brown near Port Arthur, Tasmania. He was airlifted to Royal Hobart Hospital with suspected hypothermia.

 

The man and his female partner were walking towards Mount Brown on the Tasman Peninsula when the woman slipped by a cliff after the pair had wandered off track. The man attempted to rescue her when he was swept into the ocean. The man was in the water for 50 minutes before being rescued by boat, thanks to local tourism company Pennicott Wilderness Journeys.

A rescue operation was coordinated after a witness first reported a person in the water near Maignon Blowhole. The operation was a joint effort between tour operators, fellow hikers from the Mount Brown track, police, and the rescue helicopter to keep eyes on the man when he ended up 200m out to sea.

Rob Pennicott, founder of Pennicott Wilderness Journeys, said the man was on his ‘last legs’ as his crew ‘went over and threw a life buoy to him and as he reached the life buoy he went under’. Pennicott says he was ‘pretty lucky’ to be pulled out when he was, after spending 50 minutes in the water. Water temperatures at this time of the year are around 19ºC.

The couple were airlifted to hospital for suspected hypothermia and mild injuries and have since been discharged.

This was the fifth rescue in a month near Crescent Bay by Pennicott Wilderness Journeys.

A Stark Reminder

If this incident had occurred in winter a very different scenario would’ve been likely with sudden and prolonged immersion in water less than 15°C is likely to result in dangerous and life-threatening levels of hypothermia.

After a number of recent rescues in Tasmania, including three in a single day at the start of January, Tasmania Police search controller Sergeant Kristy Eyle said, ‘Our message to people doing any sort of recreational walking in Tasmania is to stick to the marked tracks’.

This rescue effort near Mount Brown is a stark reminder for all outdoor Explorers to stick to designated trails, in yet another rescue case that could have been avoided.

Feature photo by Josh Wood