'He wanted to get the big one': Family devastated over death of rock fisherman

The devastated family of a fisherman who was swept to his death off a Western Australian beach is pleading with other adventurers not to risk their lives.

Sam Roth, 30, drowned after he was swept off rocks by a freak wave when he tried to retrieve a shark he had hooked at The Deep, 30km west of Albany, on Monday.

A family with young children who was fishing next to Mr Roth at the time threw a life buoy to him but he couldn't reach it and disappeared under waves. He was found by rescue volunteers two hours later.

His sister, Anne Timmer, said he was a "dare devil" and said he loved heaps of different sports.

“Anything dangerous, he did it. It was a real passion of his to always get the big one, so I’m guessing the big one got him in the end," Ms Timmer told The West Australian.

A diesel mechanic, Mr Roth had recently got engaged. He was building a house, and a life, with his fiancée.

The family are devastated and say they don't want another family going through what they have had to. They want it to be compulsory for rock fishermen to wear life jackets, which Mr Roth wasn't wearing.

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"He meant the world to me, he was my little brother," Ms Timmer said. She went on to say thank you to the family who threw a buoy out to her brother.

Most of the drownings along this particular stretch of coast have been tourists who aren't familiar with the area.

His nephew, Caleb Timmer, said he is "done with rock fishing altogether" and "won't go back there".

Mr Roth had grown up fishing along the coastline near Albany, something his family say may have made him complacent about his safety.