Four rescued from Hoskyn Island after boat begins to sink

7 Jun, 2025

Four people have been rescued from a remote island on the southern Great Barrier Reef after their boat began to sink.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said it detected a distress beacon from the recreational boat near Hoskyn Island about 4:30am on Sunday.

The boat was about 55 kilometres north-east of 1770 in the Gladstone region.

A spokesperson for Bundaberg’s LifeFlight Rescue helicopter said three adults and a teenager had been out fishing on Saturday when they took shelter on the island because of poor weather.

During the night, they discovered their boat was also taking in water.

“We ended up transporting them to … Lady Musgrave as the VMR (Volunteer Marine Rescue) and the police boat couldn’t make landfall due to how shallow it was at that island,”

LifeFlight crewman Daniel Finter said.

The group were flown to Lady Musgrave Island and then transferred back to the mainland by boat.

The Queensland Ambulance Service said no-one was injured or required medical treatment.

The AMSA said the event served as an important reminder of the importance of carrying distress beacons.