‘Clinging for dear life’: Four men rescued after boat overturns

Wild footage shows four men clinging to their capsized aluminum boat and waving for help after reports of heavy waves throwing them overboard.

The incident occurred three kilometers off Pinnaroo Point, near the Perth suburb of Hillarys, at around 6pm on Monday.

It is understood one of the members clinging to the 5.7-metre aluminum half-cabin cruiser managed to trigger a request from Perth Coast Radio.

Rotto Fast Ferries, carrying 365 passengers on board, heard the distress call and diverted to help.

The men, aged between 19 and 50, swam to the ferry and climbed safety ladders to reach safety.

The men are understood to have been in the water for about 30-45 minutes before help arrived and were returning from Rottnest Island when a large wave caused their boat to capsize.

Rottnest Fast Ferries skipper Ryan Poolman said the men “looked absolutely shocked”.

“There was a young lad, it was obvious he was holding on to the life he loved so much,” he told 9News.

The family of a man on the sinking boat also said the group was shaken by the incident.

“They would like to sincerely thank the emergency services and first responders for their quick response,” the family told 9News.

The men were transported to Hillary’s Boat Harbor and treated by St John Ambulance for minor and non-life-threatening injuries.