Media release

Marine rescue - East Arnhem

Police

Northern Territory Police have rescued two people who became stranded overnight in Blue Mud Bay. 

The man and woman had left Baniyala on Monday 1 March, however their boat suffered gearbox failure, leaving them stranded between Walker River and Haddon Head, late Monday night.

They were able to make contact with a third party to inform police that they had adequate food and water.

Police commenced an air search early this morning, with an aircraft activated from Gove locating the vessel on a remote beach near Haddon Head. The aircraft crew provided an exact GPS position to the Alyangula Police vessel, who recovered the man and woman a short time later.

Both the man and woman were taken back to their vehicle at Baniyala and are reportedly safe and well after a long night.

Sergeant Andrew Hocking said, “These people were well prepared, they set up a V-sheet for our search craft to spot and had adequate food and water for the night, without the right safety equipment on board, the outcome could have been far worse.”

“Anybody taking to the waters should ensure they have emergency equipment and supplies including food and water, safety gear and a registered EPIRB”.