Rock fishing in the Wollongong/Illawarra area has proven to be a deadly pastime over the years and that's prompted Surf Life Saving NSW to run a weekend rock fishing safety and skills program at Port Kembla.
Emily Cook, project lead of the 'Gone Fishing' program, said more than 120 people signed on for an intense course which she hopes will ultimately save lives.
Delivered through funding support from the NSW Government, the course delivered critical safety advice, resources, and everyone took home a free, top-of-the-line life jacket to keep them safe during future trips to the coast (wearing life jackets is compulsory for people fishing off the rocks in the Wollongong LGA.
The Gone Fishing program has been brought back to the Illawarra after two years of persistent tragedies and multiple rescues of people washed into the water while fishing in this area.
"We had a fantastic day," said Emily Cook, "it was a wonderful collaboration involving a number of different agencies and organisations."
"The NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, which funds the program, presented the best safety gear to use and what to bring to keep you safe when fishing off the rocks.
"Maritime NSW educated on the different types of life jackets on the market, and how to maintain and service them, while the Life Saving Academy provided CPR training sessions to give first responders some valuable knowledge and potentially life saving skills."
Two program ambassadors, Hadi and Spyros, presented a popular session on rock fishing tips and tricks, including risk assessments for when you arrive at a fishing spot, and monitoring the changing coastal conditions.
"On the weekend we were getting 60km/hr gusts of wind, so it was a bit wild and woolly, and it was good to be able to demonstrate just how quickly conditions can change."
Emily said as well as locals from the Illawarra a number of people travelled from south-west Sydney to learn more about staying safe while fishing in the region.
Several family groups also attended, including a father of four who brought his children along. His assessment at the end of the day was that "it's not worth the risk" to go fishing on the rocks.
Emily said many of the attendees regularly fished at Hill 60 at Port Kembla, a notorious danger spot and the scene of multiple drownings over many years.
Surf Life Saving NSW will continue to roll out the Gone Fishing program in the months ahead, hoping to reach as many as 16,000 people face to face, and distribute 1,500 life jackets and 23,000 multilingual resources.
The education session came just days before the release of the 2025 National Drowning Report, which revealed the nation's highest number of drowning deaths since records began.
In the past year, Australia recorded 357 drowning deaths. That's 27 per cent higher than the 10-year average, and one-third of all drowning deaths were people aged 65-plus.
The drowning of a 58-year-old man washed off the Wollongong Harbour rock wall in huge seas on Good Friday this year was a sobering reminder of the risk.
