A woman and teenage boy left adrift in the ocean after setting out for a “beautiful, carefree afternoon” paddleboarding say they’re lucky to be alive.
The woman, 51, and boy, 17, from the same family, set off paddleboarding from Portarlington caravan park on the Bellarine Peninsula about 3 p.m. on Christmas Day before vanishing out in the Port Phillip Bay.
Family of the missing pair raised the alarm two hours later, prompting a large-scale search effort involving police, aircraft, Life Saving Victoria and Queenscliff Coast Guards.
About 6:20 p.m. they were spotted from the air near Wyndham Harbour — more than 6 miles from where they started — and rescued by water police.
“They were laying on their paddleboards and waving for assistance,” a Victoria Police spokeswoman said.
“Apart from being exhausted and cold they were luckily not physically injured.”
A day later, on Boxing Day, the family issued a statement thanking everyone involved in the rescue.
“We’d like to express our sincere thanks to everyone who was involved in the rescue yesterday,” they said.
“We are so grateful for the outcome but still trying to come to terms with how quickly a beautiful, carefree afternoon turned into an almost tragedy.
“We are exhausted, very shaken and feel so lucky we were able to stay together.
“We commend the efforts of all the agencies involved. The decisive and quick action led not only to our rescue but our survival. Thank you so much.”
The woman and boy were among six people pulled from the water in Victoria on Christmas Day by authorities.
Earlier the same day a mother and her two teenage daughters were rescued after they were swept over a half mile out to sea off Westernport Bay while kayaking.
The trio ended up in the water and were winched to safety by the Westpac Rescue Helicopter.
Another kayaker, a Hoppers Crossing man, 41, was rescued by the coastguard after getting into trouble at Lake King in Paynesville just before 3 p.m.
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