Unique local SES crew making waves

Inverloch’s SES crew has a unique identity among the volunteer organisations, being the only branch in Victoria to specialise in marine rescue.

With 12 current active members, the unit responds to about 100 jobs per year.

Inverloch SES Unit Controller Neil Warren said the unit’s marine rescue role was originally created to fill a gap in emergency response coverage along this part of the coast.

“There’s Coast Guard at Port Welshpool and Port Albert, and there’s Coast Guard up in Western Port Bay, but there’s sort of a gap at this part of the coast,” Mr Warren said.

“Well before my time, some of the locals got together and thought there should be a unit here.”

Mr Warren said the local SES unit was eventually affiliated with Marine Rescue Victoria in order to bridge this gap, allowing it to provide a specialist marine rescue response.

“It was historically set up here locally because there’s a gap in the coast where there’s no rescue services, no marine rescue services available,” he said.

The Inverloch SES unit regularly sends crews to broken-down boats and jet skis, as well as kayaks and paddleboards that have drifted too far out.

“Most callouts are broken down or disabled vessels, whether they be in the inlet itself or along the coastline,” Mr Warren said.

That includes power boats and jet skis that have broken down, run out of fuel, failed to start, or become stuck on sandbanks.

During summer, Inverloch SES crews are also called to rescue those on kayaks and paddle boards who have been pushed offshore and cannot make it back safely, usually as a result of strong winds.

A marine rescue most often begins with a triple-zero call, either from the person in trouble or from family or friends who are on the shore.

The call is then referred to the Rescue Coordination Centre, where the Water Police will often contact the Inverloch SES to see if they’re available.

If a crew is available, they’re dispatched with the location and details of the job.

Mr Warren explained that one of the most recurring and biggest challenges in the Inverloch area is the sandbar, which crews must cross in order to respond to incidents outside the inlet.

“If the bar is treacherous and we don’t go out, the Water Police then send the helicopter or boat from somewhere else to do the job,” he said.

The unit currently has two boats, including a 10-metre Stabicraft ocean-going vessel with twin 200-horsepower motors, and a smaller rigid-hull inflatable boat used in the inlet and shallower water.

Mr Warren had some advice for ocean enjoyers, urging them to plan ahead, check fuel and batteries, let someone know where they’re going, and always carry a phone in a waterproof pouch.

“If we know roughly where they are, it’s much quicker and much easier to find them,” he said.