Police say the body discovered near Fence Reef Beach a suburb of Perth is believed to have a connection to a 32 year old diver who went missing while collecting crayfish on New Year’s Day.
The body has been discovered at a beach in the west coast area of Western Australia in north of Perth and police suspect this is a man missing while snorkeling at Ledge Point on New Year’s Day.
The WA Police received a call around 7:20 AM on Tuesday about remains that had washed up on Fence Reef Beach located north of Ledge Point on the central west coast of the state. Fence Reef Beach is located close to the tourist destination of Lancelin.
Identification had not yet taken place however, police believed that the bodies were likely to be connected to a 32 year old man who had gone missing after a snorkeling adventure on Thursday on 1st January.
The man who had been in the water off Ledge Point Beach in a group of four divers was snorkelling for crayfish. Police said he became separated from the others and friends raised the alarm about 3 PM that afternoon when he failed to return.
The report triggered a search involving volunteer marine rescue crews, local fishermen and water police with aerial support also deployed when conditions allowed.
The effort concentrated on the waters off Ledge Point and nearby coastline where divers and vessels worked alongside volunteers who responded from surrounding towns.
After several hours of searching on New Year’s Day, police later scaled back resources with further checks continuing as information came in. The discovery on Tuesday brought the operation into a recovery phase.
Officers attended Fence Reef Beach after the report and secured the area while the remains were examined and removed. Police say the death is not being treated as suspicious.
A report is to be prepared for the Coroner and he will take charge of the formal identification and inquiring into the circumstances of the death.
The incident serves as a reminder that in an instant, a run of the mill holiday outing can quickly turn to one of emergency along coastlines in Australia, especially in areas where sea conditions can change and distances between groups can open up in minutes.
The statement also brings into sharp focus the work of volunteer marine rescue groups, especially at the peak season when call outs go up and search operations require sustained effort over wide swathes of coast.
