‘We had to swim or die’: Incredible moment two fisherman are winched to safety into a helicopter after their boat suddenly filled up with water and sank
- Tim Watson and friend Guy were out fishing 12kms off Sydney’s Curl Curl beach
- As they fished, the boat’s bilge pump gave up and water filled up into the vessel
- Incredible footage shows the men desperately grabbing onto the sinking boat
- The men were rescued 10 minutes after the boat began to sink by a helicopter
Two men have escaped death after they were winched to safety when their fishing boat sank.
Tim Watson and his friend Guy were out fishing 12kms off Sydney’s Curl Curl beach on Saturday when their bilge pump stopped working causing their boat to fill with water.
The pair were able to alert emergency services as they clung on to the sinking vessel.
Incredible footage shows the pair desperately holding on to the boat as the rescue helicopter appeared.
The men desperately held onto the sinking vessel when the rescue helicopter appeared and saved them
‘The boat sunk about 10 minutes after we got pulled out of the water,’ Guy told Nine News.
‘I was kinda thinking swim or die. Luckily I listened to my mate and I stayed with the boat.’
A rescuer said that one of the men was holding onto an esky while the other had a life-jacket on and was sitting on the sinking boat.
Mr Watson was taken to hospital to have a fishhook wound to his arm checked out, while Guy was uninjured.
‘I can’t wait to get home and give everyone a big hug and a big kiss and spend some quality time,’ Guy said.
He thanked the emergency crew for saving him and his friends life.
‘I can’t wait to get home and give everyone a big hug and a big kiss and spend some quality time,’ Guy (pictured) said