Three fishermen who tragically lost their lives have been identified, as it emerges they ventured out despite warnings about perilous conditions.
The men, Les DeMamiel, 74, Russell Fisher, 67, and John McKenzie, 65, were last seen off the coast of Beachport in South Australia’s southeast on Sunday afternoon at around 2:30 PM.
A massive search operation was initiated by the police, ultimately leading to the discovery of their bodies.
Locals informed The Advertiser that the sea was incredibly rough, with waves reaching heights of up to 3 meters. They had advised the fishermen against setting out.
Superintendent Trent Cox noted that although the boat was equipped with safety gear, it was not in use when the incident occurred.
“It’s a heartbreaking conclusion to what should have been an ordinary fishing outing for these men,” he remarked.
‘Our early investigations indicate that while they did have life jackets on board, they weren’t wearing them, none of them were wearing them.’
He said they made a ‘poor decision’ and ‘paid the price’.
John McKenzie,65, was the youngest of the three fishermen who passed away
A fishing trip near South Australia’s south-east coast has ended in tragedy after the three fishermen on board were found dead
Beachport Boat Yard manager Clint Sneath, who has lived in town for 35 years, said the three men should never have gone on the trip in the first place.
‘These people probably didn’t understand the conditions … and they can cause death,’ Mr Sneath said.
‘The tides, especially down here, change in a matter of minutes and completely in half an hour.
‘Over the years there’s been a lot of drownings and it’s never nice. It always brings up emotions, but it’s avoidable.’
Mr Sneath said they were warned before going out.
‘They were warned about it and did it anyway, now this is the consequence,’ he said.
Beachport resident Dot Hill and her husband Burt, who were close friends of Mr DeMamiel, met the other two about a month ago.
‘He was the most amazing person and they were the most absolutely beautiful people,’ Ms Hill said.
Les DeMamiel, 74, was good friends with Beachport residents Dot Hill and her husband Burt
Russell Fisher, 67, was one of the three fisherman on board
Ms Hill recalled spending her final time with the three fishermen on Saturday, which included a ‘lovely’ dinner.
‘They arrived Saturday morning and a cray pot had been dropped at our house and Les and the boys came to pick it up before they went out and dropped the cray pots in,’ she said.
‘Burt said to them … that we’d catch up for a drink with them later at the Tavern and at about 4.15pm, we arrived and were met with big cuddles and kisses, just as good friends do.
‘It was such a lovely time to spend time with these boys … and that was really, really good for me and for Burt, just to spend that time together with them.’
The Bar Crusher boat, owned by one of the fishermen’s sons, was found deep in sand about 4km south of Beachport on Monday and was salvaged by rescue crews, police and locals using shovels and a tractor.
Investigations into what caused the boat to turn over are still underway.
