Lucky to be alive

A buoy taken from a silent sentry at the Salmon Holes saved the life of an English tourist after he was swept off the rocks at the precarious fishing spot at the weekend.

Picture by Malcolm Heberle

Steven Jones was fishing with wife Linda on Saturday afternoon when he fell into the ocean after hooking a fish and losing his balance trying to reel it in.

Mrs Jones fell into the water trying to rescue her husband and was pulled back by a fisherman who held a long fishing rod out to her.

But her husband had swallowed two mouthfuls of water and couldn’t get back to the rocks.

Another fisherman pulled one of three buoys from one of the silent sentries installed at the location by the Nathan Drew Memorial Trust in 2003 and threw it to Mr Jones.

It landed about one foot away from him, between his arms, enabling him to save himself.

Mr and Mrs Jones sustained cuts and bruising to their backs and arms from sharp barnacles on the rock face.

Nathan Drew Memorial Trust co-director Graeme Drew, who met with the recovering couple at their backpackers’ accommodation yesterday, said the pair felt lucky to be alive.

“(Mr Jones) couldn’t believe it happened to him,” Mr Drew said.

“He said the relief of grabbing that float, the moment he grabbed it, he knew he was going to be alright.”

Mr Jones was brought to shore by a swimmer who swam out to meet him about 40m off land.

The silent sentries have been at Salmon Holes since 2003.

Life jackets are also available for hire from locations around Albany and the Great Southern from locations included on the Nathan Drew Memorial Trust website, www.coastalsafety.com.au.