On Friday, September 13, 2024, my wife dropped my experienced buddy and at Victoria Point. We were looking forward to the perfect work-week wrap-up and set off at 3:00 PM towards Wellington Point. The wind speed was around 25 knots southeast, with a swell height of about 1.8 meters. I was wearing a leg leash and a PFD. Crucially, I had my ResQLink 400 PLB tied around one leg.

At around 3:45 PM, with about 4 km left to go and roughly 2 km offshore. My left carbon paddle blade snapped clean off at the socket neck. It may have been due to fatigue, as the paddle was about four years old. After a moment of thought, I realized the conditions were too challenging for a self-rescue, especially with nightfall.

In Australia, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority registers PLBs and performs an annual registration check. With my PLB registration up to date, I felt confident in activating it at around 3:50 PM.

As I later learned, the distress signal was relayed to the National Rescue Coordination Centre in Canberra. The were able to contact my wife. She confirmed our location and identifying details. Canberra notified the Port of Brisbane Water Police, who coordinated the rescue and informed the Raby Bay Volunteer Rescue.

The plan was to dispatch two helicopters by 5:00 PM if I wasn’t located, to finish the search before dark.

Two rescue craft reached me simultaneously at around 4:30 PM. They returned me and my surfski to the Raby Bay Marine Rescue Station by approximately 4:40 PM. When we arrived, we got a check-up by the Ambulance Service. The officers who assisted me said this was a textbook rescue, the kind they enjoy.

The only uncertainty during the ordeal was whether marine rescue would take 30 or 40 minutes to reach me.

In the end, I discovered that my trust in the device’s reliability and the national rescue response plan was well-placed! To be honest, I’ve occasionally left the PLB at home, feeling confident in my leash and PFD combo. After this experience, however, the PLB will always be the first item I strap on. Onwards and upwards, ACR PLBs!