‘Mind goes wild’: Stranded boater retells hours-long ordeal off Sunshine Coast

Two men are lucky to be alive this morning after a trip from Bribie took an alarming turn off Caloundra yesterday.
Graham McDonald and George McCallum were forced to issue a mayday call when their boat’s engine failed and the vessel started taking on water.
Clinging to cushions that had fallen off the boat as it sunk, they were left bobbing in the water for 90 minutes as they waited for a rescue helicopter to arrive.
Today reporter Andrea Crothers said the men were “pretty tired but very thankful for how it turned out”.
“Their phones, all of that, were left on the boat, so they had nothing there,” she told 4BC Breakfast. “They were a bit nervous a shark may turn up.
“They’re pretty cheery about it all, they also said this was their first helicopter ride.”
Press PLAY below to hear more about the ordeal
Reaching out to his good friend Ray Hadley, George said the conditions were so choppy that a Coast Guard vessel had been unable to spot them.
“The swell was about three to four metres, so you’re sort of up and down and you get a glimpse of something, then it disappears,” he said.
Press PLAY below to hear Mr McCallum describe the ordeal + some of his and Ray’s hilarious memories
Image: 9News