74-Year-Old’s Near-Drowning Exposes Response Failures | Adelaide News

Adelaide News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Aug 23, 2026 · 1m

A 74-year-old man nearly drowned off Tasmania’s coast after his boat drifted away—swimming after it, he was swept into Bass Strait for over an hour before two young fishermen rescued him. Emergency calls were made, but police took two hours to arrive due to miscommunication and delayed dispatch. Tasmania Police admitted fault, revamped response protocols, and trained dispatchers to avoid future delays. The survivor, now back on the water with company and only in calm weather, credits the fishermen—but the incident exposed a critical flaw in emergency systems that narrowly avoided tragedy…