Men lucky to survive capsize in rough seas

Police say two Kalbarri men are lucky to be alive after being pulled from the water yesterday when their boat capsized.

The men, aged 45 and 22, were diving 1km off the coast of Kalbarri when rough seas tipped their 22ft boat.

Water Police were contacted at 2.38pm by a man who spotted the overturned vessel from the shore.

Police say the man had to travel to get reception on his mobile phone before he could contact emergency services.

The two men were in the water for over an hour and were clinging to their capsized boat when they were pulled from the sea by Water Police.

Kalbarri police Sergeant Shaun Peters said rough seas made the rescue efforts tough.

“These two were very lucky to survive,” he said.

“If it wasn’t for the action of the civilian who spotted them they might not have been found given how bad the seas were.

“They seemed overly excited when we pulled them in so I guess they were happy to be back on land.

“I’d like to remind everyone that if you’re taking a boat out make sure you know the conditions.”

Police say the boat’s safety equipment met the required standards.

The capsized vessel was towed back into shore by a fishing boat later that day.