Aussie local calls out dangerous act with startling beach photo: 'They never learn'
Rock fishing is considered one of Australia's most dangerous activities, and has killed over 200 anglers in two decades.
A frustrated beachgoer who witnessed an all too common act at a popular fishing spot on the weekend has called out those who continue to flout important, life-saving rules after he witnessed an angler standing dangerously close to the clifftop's edge.
Capturing the risky move on camera, the Sydney local criticised the fisherman's decision to fish from the rocks, believed to be near Mahon Pool in Maroubra. In recent years, the area has claimed several lives due to the precarious nature of rockfishing.
Randwick City Council has warned the region's coastline, including Maroubra, is "the most dangerous rock fishing area in Australia" and has long advised locals and visitors to proceed with caution, even introducing $100 fines for non-compliance.
While wearing lifejackets when rock fishing is not mandatory across Australia, it is in this area. But it appears the fisherman failed to put one on, the witness pointed out.
"They never learn, he should be wearing a life jacket," said the local who witnessed the dangerous stunt on Sunday. Others said it's "ridiculous" the number of people who still ignore the safety warnings.
"In these circumstances, the life jacket just helps us find the body," one person grimly suggested. "Wave comes, washes them off, normally smashes them into the rocks. If you want to be safe, stop this hobby," they warned.
Others feared a lifejacket would not be enough to save him if he fell from that height.
Fatalities in Australia caused by rock fishing
Rock fishing is considered one of Australia's most dangerous sports and since 2021, more than 140 people have died, according to the ABC. Between 2004 to 2024 the dangerous activity reportedly caused 241 drowning deaths. Alarmingly 10 per cent of those deaths occurred in the Randwick area.
Last year, a father and his son were swept off the rocks at Little Bay, Sydney — also in the Eastern Suburbs and within the Randwick Council area — when "standing close to edge" while rock fishing. Recalling the death of her family, Hasti Masoumi said it all happened very quickly.
Meanwhile, a 19-year-old was fishing with friends at the popular rock fishing spot near Wollongong, NSW when he was hit by a large wave and washed into the sea.
Rock fishing accounts for four per cent of all drowning deaths in Australia, 60 per cent of which are people born overseas," according to the Royal Life Saving Society.
Randwick Council's drastic plan to prevent rock fishing-related deaths
It's events like this which Randwick Council is attempting to prevent, and earlier this year they announced a drastic plan to combat the soaring rate of anglers killed around the coastline. It included the installation of "high impact ‘shock’ signs at rock fishing blackspots" in the area.
Randwick City Council implemented compulsory lifejacket laws for rock fishers in 2016. This includes locations such as La Perouse, Little Bay, Malabar, Maroubra, Coogee and Clovelly. An on-the-spot fine of $100 applies to those fishing without an approved lifejacket.
"This means you must wear an appropriate lifejacket whenever you rock fish anywhere in the Randwick LGA. Anyone who is helping you rock fish in the Randwick LGA, as well as children in your care, must also wear an appropriate lifejacket," council says.
Other "declared" lifejacket areas in NSW include the Central Coast, Wollongong, the Sutherland Shire and the Northern Beaches. Across the country, Victoria is trialling the lifejacket rule across 10 different locations, and It's already compulsory to wear a lifejacket in Salmon Holes in Western Australia, a drowning black spot.
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