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March 27, 2024

Westpac chopper a beacon for Ocean Shores kids

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The Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter landed in Waterlily Park, Ocean Shores, on Saturday (February 18) much to the amusement of local kids. Photo Tina Petroff
The Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter landed in Waterlily Park, Ocean Shores, on Saturday (February 18) much to the amusement of local kids. Photo Tina Petroff

The Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter landed in Waterlily Park, Ocean Shores, last Saturday (February 18) at around 10am, much to the amusement of the local kids.

But the chopper was there on a serious mission – to investigate a distress beacon coming from a boat.

‘We joked that there’s not enough water in the lake at the moment to sink a boat,’ said Ocean Shores resident Tina Petroff, who sent us this photo.

She added, ‘while two of the helicopter team walked around the lake with their locator antenna, the rest of their team opened up the helicopter to the 60+ kids and parents who came out to investigate.’

‘They kindly spent an hour entertaining the onlookers, until they ascertained that the emergency beacon was coming from further north.

‘They explained that it might be coming from a boat in a garage that had a beacon set off accidentally, possibly from the heat, but it had to be found because passenger jets can pick it up too, and keep reporting it,’ Ms Petroff said.

A Life Saver Helicopter spokesperson said the beacon was subsequently located but it is a timely reminder to boat owners to check their beacons, especially in hot weather,


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