Four people rescued from capsized boat by Rottnest ferry

Four men have been rescued by Rottnest Fast Ferries after they were found clinging to their capsized boat and waving for help on Monday night.

The incident occurred about three kilometres off Pinnaroo Point, near Hillarys at about 6pm.

Vision of the rescue shows four men, aged between 19 and 50, holding on to the sides of the sinking boat, before they begin to leap into the water and swim towards the ferry.

It’s understood the group were on their way back from Rottnest Island when a large wave caused their boat to overturn.

One member of the group was able to call triple zero from his iPhone after going overboard, triggering a request for assistance from Coast Radio Perth.

They were stuck in the water for around 30 to 45 minutes before help arrived.

Rottnest Fast Ferries skipper, Ryan Poolman, told Radio 6PR the crew diverted to the capsized boat after hearing a Pan-Pan [distress call] over the radio.

“We received latitude and longitude coordinates, and put it into our chart plotter and lucky enough we were only approximately 10 mins from their last location, so we pretty much headed flat sticks straight to their location,” he said.

“It wasn’t the easiest rescue because it was pretty choppy and the seas were pretty rough, and where their location was, there was a lot of cray pots.”

Ryan said the crew dropped a recovery ladder off the back of the boat and the men swam to it and boarded the vessel, which was travelling from Rottnest Island to Hillarys with 365 passengers on board.

“Luckily, no one was injured, there were a couple of the lads in shock,” he said.

The men were assessed by paramedics once they arrived on shore.