Sandy Straits Volunteers Join Statewide Rescue Service

Coast Guard Sandy Straits has joined Marine Rescue Queensland (MRQ), bringing more than four decades of local marine rescue experience into Queensland’s first statewide volunteer marine rescue service. The unit will operate as MRQ Sandy Straits while continuing to serve the local boating community with the same experienced volunteers.

Operating seven days a week, MRQ Sandy Straits will provide on-water assistance and broadcast information about tides, weather and navigation warnings. The transition follows the integration of Coast Guard units in Caloundra, Mooloolaba, Noosa and Tin Can Bay earlier this week.

MRQ Chief Officer Tony Wulff said the move extended continuous MRQ coverage across 500 kilometres of coastline, from Gladstone to Bribie Island. He said the Sandy Straits volunteers’ local knowledge and long-standing community service would remain central to the organisation.

Unit Commander Richard Lange said local expertise was particularly important in challenging areas such as Sheridan Flats, where tides from the north and south meet. MRQ advised boaters to log their journeys, wear lifejackets, check weather conditions and carry sufficient fuel, water and charged communication devices. In an emergency, people should call Triple Zero (000) or radio VHF Channel 16; assistance and information are available through 131MRQ.