There are grave fears for a fisherman missing off the NSW coast after he was pulled from a boat and dragged beneath the surface more than 50km from land. The man was taking part in a recreational fishing competition off the coast of Newcastle, north of Sydney, on Sunday afternoon when he fell into the ocean. More than 80 boats were taking part in the competition which, alongside a rescue helicopter, have now turned their attention to finding the man.
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today The competition was immediately cancelled and the boats involved began a search coordinated by water police and marine rescue. It’s understood the man became entangled in tracing wire used in fishing tackle before being pulled in. The desperate search comes just days after a group of fishermen had a separate close encounter with three sharks , all in a single day off the coast of NSW .
The fishermen, including skipper John Smith, captured close-up photos of one five-metre great white shark they saw while competing in an annual fishing competition off the coast of Port Stephens earlier this month. “I’ve been game fishing since I was 12 years old, I’m 54 now, and I haven’t seen a great deal of whites,” Smith told The Canberra Times. “I’ve seen one 20-odd years ago, a big fella, but to see three in a day, it’s just next level.
” The team was targeting legal shark species for the game fishing tournament when a shark, estimated to weigh more than 680kg, appeared near .