Fisherman in heroic bay rescue
Published: December 22, 2005
A VICTORIAN fisherman grabbed a stranded man by the toe as he battled to stay afloat during a dramatic rescue on the Mornington Peninsula today.
Peter Haley has been branded a hero for saving the 65-year-old man’s life after he was knocked from his boat near Mt Martha in Port Phillip Bay about 11.20am (AEDT).
The man, who was not wearing a lifejacket, was in the water for about 40 minutes and was overcome with exhaustion when Mr Haley came to his rescue.
“I was able to get to him and … I grabbed him by the toe,” Mr Haley, 60, said.
“I managed to pull him to the stern of the boat and he said `geez mate I’m glad to see you, I’m knackered’.”
Mr Haley said the man was weak with exhaustion and could barely keep his head afloat.
He used a rope to support him until a police helicopter arrived and winched him to safety.
“When you’ve got a dead weight in the water unable to assist you and it was just his nose out of the water (it was difficult) I can tell you,” Mr Haley said.
“He was completely unable to assist through exhaustion.”
Metropolitan Ambulance Service spokesman Phil Cullen said the man was treated for hypothermia, minor cuts and bruising and taken to Frankston Hospital in a stable condition.
Mr Haley denied he was a hero.
“I have done nothing out of the ordinary and I’m certainly no hero. The coppers did a great job,” he said.
Mr Haley said the incident served as a warning to other boaters about the importance of wearing lifejackets.
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