Marine Rescue NSW volunteers save stranded dog from Snapper Island

A dog that was swept onto an island almost one kilometre from the NSW South Coast has been rescued by volunteers who raced into action after receiving several distress calls from worried onlookers.

The emergency calls were made after the dog was spotted by Batemans Bay locals in the waters off Observation Point on Monday afternoon, triggering the Marine Rescue deployment.

The volunteers located the dog on Snapper Island, a one-hectare oval-shaped island four kilometres from the Batemans Bay township.

Two volunteers aboard a Marine Rescue jetski landed at a small cove on the island, spending almost an hour coaxing the dog into their grasp before safely retrieving it.

The animal was fastened onto the back of the ski and transferred to the main rescue vessel, before it was handed to council rangers for further care at Marine Rescue’s Batemans Bay base.

Commander of the rescue mission Rod Ingamells said the dog played “hide and seek” with the crew on Snapper Island, complicating what he thought would be a “simple” retrieval.

“We found him three different times in all different spots, [he had] climbed up three metres from the water. So we coaxed him down, there were some sharp rocks around there, his paws were damaged,” Ingamells said. “He looked very comfortable and happy to be off the island.”

The dog was reunited with its owner on Tuesday morning after spending the night at the vet. It remains in the care of Eurobodalla Shire Council while rangers inspect the suitability of the owner’s property. The dog isn’t believed to be microchipped.

The outcome of the rescue mission could have been far different if it weren’t for the calm, sunny conditions the volunteer crew enjoyed on Monday, according to Marine Rescue NSW Inspector Glenn Sullivan.

“The dog was fortunate to have reached Snapper Island, and equally fortunate that sea conditions were exceptionally calm at the time of the incident,” Sullivan said.

Ingamells was “surprised” the dog made it as far as Snapper Island.

“Yesterday was a great day – we had fun doing the rescue, and at the same time, got him off the island and he’s in good care,” he said.