Geoff Shelton awarded Marine Rescue Life Membership after nearly four decades of service

FOR more than 37 years, Geoff Shelton has answered the call when people were in trouble at sea. From searching for missing divers in rough conditions to rescuing stranded fishermen against overwhelming odds, Geoff has spent almost four decades volunteering with Port Macquarie’s marine rescue service, a commitment that has now been recognised with the awarding of Life Membership from Marine Rescue.

Geoff joined Port Macquarie Sea Rescue in 1989 when the unit consisted of just 12 members operating out of modest facilities and relying heavily on volunteers willing to sacrifice their time, sleep and family life. Since then, he has dedicated 37 and a half years of active service – more than half of his lifetime.

One rescue has remained vivid for Geoff. In December 1997, Geoff and fellow volunteer Peter Taylor were called to reports of five missing divers off Nobby’s in Port Macquarie. Conditions offshore were difficult. A 15–20 knot nor’easter was creating heavy surface chop, making visibility poor and tracking the divers nearly impossible. When Geoff arrived on scene, the divers’ support vessel could not provide an accurate position or time of entry into the water.

Then Geoff noticed something. What initially looked like a dolphin surfacing turned out to be the buoy from a commercial fish trap. The float was repeatedly being dragged underwater by an exceptionally strong current. Geoff immediately recognised what that meant. If the divers had surfaced into that current, they would no longer be anywhere near the original search area.

Trusting experience and instinct, he redirected the search south. Local fishing operators joined in. Search vessels spread across different depth contours while a private aircraft assisted overhead. After nearly three hours adrift and having travelled almost seven nautical miles south, the five divers were finally located east of Lake Cathie. Every diver was brought home safely.

For Geoff, the rescue reinforced a lesson that would shape future operations, understanding the ocean’s currents could save lives. That hard-earned knowledge would prove invaluable 12 years later during what Geoff describes as the rescue he is most proud of.

On 5 September 2009, the 6-metre fishing vessel Unique departed Port Macquarie with three people on board for what should have been a routine day’s fishing. The crew logged their trip with Port Macquarie Sea Rescue and checked in during the unit’s regular welfare radio skeds throughout the day. But when the vessel failed to return as planned and repeated radio calls went unanswered, Geoff and the team knew something was wrong.

Using a search planning system developed by Geoff that factored in ocean currents, wind and sea conditions, he was able to calculate where the overdue vessel was most likely to have drifted. Despite 20–25 knot southerly winds and seas reaching up to four metres, Rescue One steamed more than 22 nautical miles offshore to the estimated position.

While conducting a drift test to confirm the current, a lookout spotted what appeared to be a tiny red light on the horizon. The test was immediately abandoned as the crew altered course. Moments later, they heard whistles and desperate calls for help. Rescue One’s spotlight revealed an extraordinary sight, the Unique lying on its side, almost completely submerged, with three exhausted fishermen clinging to the vessel after spending more than seven hours in the freezing water. They had drifted more than 13 nautical miles from where they had capsized. Battling heavy seas, the rescue crew threw ropes to the men and hauled them aboard one by one. All three survived with mild to moderate hypothermia.

The rescue not only saved three lives but also changed the way Port Macquarie Sea Rescue operated. Following the incident, the unit increased the frequency of its welfare radio skeds from every four hours to every three hours and began recording the intended fishing depth of departing vessels, providing even more valuable information should future search operations be required.

For Geoff, the rescue was a powerful reminder that preparation saves lives. Registering trip details, carrying emergency equipment and above all, never abandoning a vessel can mean the difference between tragedy and survival. Across nearly four decades, Geoff has attended countless callouts involving capsized vessels, missing fishermen, overdue boats and people whose lives depended on volunteers answering the call.

Reflecting on his years of service, Geoff focuses not on the sacrifices but on the privilege of helping others.

“There were difficult times,” Geoff said. “But if I had my time in Marine and Sea Rescue over again, I wouldn’t change a thing.”

Life Membership recognises far more than years of service. It honours the lives Geoff has helped save, the experience he has shared with generations of volunteers and the lasting legacy he has built within Marine Rescue Port Macquarie and the wider boating community.

While this award recognises Geoff’s remarkable contribution to Marine Rescue and the countless lives he has helped save, for me it recognises something I have always known.

Behind every rescue is a man of unwavering integrity, selflessness and quiet strength. He has been a role model not only to his fellow volunteers, but to our family.

Watching him dedicate so much of his life to serving others has been an inspiration, and I am incredibly proud to call him my dad.

By Kate SHELTON