Incident at Escape Island (Lighthouse)

On Saturday, 17 May 2025 an incident occurred at Escape Island (Lighthouse) when a vessel with two people on board capsized.  The two occupants managed to reach Escape Island however, they were unable to be retrieved by boat due to inaccessible conditions. 

Two helicopters were deployed with one person being evacuated by Helicopter 651 to hospital and the other person was evacuated to the Jurien Bay Health Centre.   One person is still recovering in hospital and the other is at home and has expressed their gratitude to all involved.  We wish them both a speedy recovery.  

A huge thank you to WAPOL for the quick response and to the three vessels on stand by at the location.  Boat Member J45 and another vessel as well as J330A, Mike Cockburn, who was communicating with the Water Police regarding the extraction options with helicopter 651. Big thanks also to our radio operator Sharon Stiles, Deputy Commander Kym Vukusich, Mike Cockburn, Dolly Lucas, J45 and the other vessel involved.

Photo credits: Micheal Cockburn