Chinese-born Melbourne resident Victor Fan used to love rock fishing.
“We can enjoy the environment, keep relaxing and also get some very fresh fish,” he says.
Three years ago, he went to Pyramid Rock on Victoria’s Phillip Island and what happened there was so frightening he says he’ll never fish from the rocks again.
“We’d just been there 10 minutes,” he says.
“I turned my back to the ocean, to get some bait, then a wave came from [behind].”
He can still remember the feeling of being thrown around by the waves.
"It was very, very scary, and I tried to get back, tried to climb up, but the wave was so strong.
“I was up and down two or three metres and I drank some water.”
Mr Fan was knocked unconscious, and spent several days in a hospital intensive care unit.
He made a full recovery, but he’s one of the lucky ones. Dozens of people have been killed rock fishing across the country in the past 20 years.
One of the most notorious ‘black spots’ for accidents is Snapper Point, on the New South Wales Central Coast.
Stuart Harvey, President of Surf Life Saving in the region, says 16 people have died along that particular stretch of coastline in the past five years.
“We never like to pull a body out of the water, it is very tough,” he says. “I’ve personally been involved in it a number of a times.”
He says he would like to see laws introduced that make wearing a life jacket mandatory for rock fishermen.
“It’s going to save your life; it’s been proven to save lives.”
Recreational Fishing New South Wales' Malcolm Poole says the best way to save lives is to focus on education before legislation.
"Our aim is voluntary acceptance. You always get, in essence, more bees to honey, if you tend to attract people and engage people, provide stewardship around that safety-knowledge building.
“It's increasing a person's safety knowledge and their ability to act from their information, [it's] about assessing their conditions, their situations, to do something about it."
Mr Poole says there are many things people can do to protect themselves.
"Making sure people go fishing with a friend. Make sure people tell you where they're going fishing.
“Making sure you cover off on wearing the right footwear, for example, for the rocks [where] you're going to fish.
“Understand the conditions, so pre-planning your trips, making sure, you know that if there's a warning out or the weather report says seas will be up, then make sure you follow those things."
Victor Fan, the former rock fisherman, says those unfamiliar with Australia's ocean patterns should take particular care.
"The problem for us is we don't know the ocean here in Australia. It's completely different from seas in China.
“And my advice is, 'Always wear the life jacket, and keep in mind safety is the most important thing.' So always think about safety, safety and safety."
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