Seven aircraft are leading the desperate search for six fishermen missing after their trawler capsized off the central Queensland coast.
Relatives and search crews are refusing to surrender hope despite reports all six of the men were below deck on Monday night when their vessel rolled off the town of 1770.
The sole survivor so far, crew member Ruben McDornan, spent hours in the water, clinging on to the trawler's hull.
He was saved when a couple on a passing vessel heard his screams for help.
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Authorities have vowed to keep searching until all hope of survival has been lost, as the missing men's families gather, desperate for news.
"We can only wait in hope, knowing he is strong and capable, would not panic or give up," Jenny Tonks, mother of missing crew member Eli Tonks, has told The Courier Mail.
Kay Bidner's son Adam Bidner is also missing.
"Right now, were just together as a family and were praying," she told the paper.
One of the people aiding the helicopter search for the men is RACQ LifeFlight chief operations officer Brian Guthrie, who went to school with missing skipper Ben Leahy.
He said Mr Leahy was a very experienced seaman and diver, and that had given him some hope the men might still be alive.
"He's always been in boats around the water, diving and things like that," Mr Guthrie told ABC radio on Wednesday.
"He's very experienced in the water and I expect his crew would be exactly the same. If anyone's going to give it their best shot, for the best outcome, these guys would be it."
Mr Guthrie said six helicopters and one plane were spearheading Wednesday's search, supported by vessels on the water.
Eight hours of searching on Tuesday yielded some debris but it was not yet known if it came from the missing boat, he said.
The area being searched is larger than it was on Tuesday, allowing for the impacts of sea drift and tides.
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