This was published 6 months ago

Divers who spent night lost at sea call on community to support their rescuers

Kate Donnison

Updated April 24, 2026 - 10.37am. First published April 23, 2026 - 9.00pm

Two divers who spent a night lost at sea off Brisbane's Moreton Bay are calling for the community to support the volunteers and charities that helped rescue them.

There were just three words the pair kept telling themselves as they drifted through waters renowned for sharks: 'We stay together no matter what'.

Manta Lodge & Scuba dive instructor Dan Fitzgerald told A Current Affair he was "eternally grateful for all the hard work and sacrifice everyone put in to come and find us and give the story a happy ending".

Two divers who spent a night lost at sea off Brisbane's Moreton Bay are calling for the community to support the volunteers and charities that helped rescue them. Nine

"I have been involved in searches before, and I know how difficult and mentally challenging it is; it doesn't turn out this good that often," fellow diver Stu Fillman added.

Their ordeal started at a dive site off the northern tip of North Stradbroke Island.

It's a spot Fitzgerald knows well.

Stu was Dan's diving partner; they'd completed one plunge last Saturday and were 15 minutes into their second when strong currents forced the pair to abort the dive.

When they surfaced early they'd already drifted 400 metres from their boat.

The currents quickly swept the pair further out to sea.

An air and sea rescue operation led by Queensland Police began 30 minutes after the alarm was raised, including members of the volunteer-led Marine Rescue Queensland, but heavy swell prevented them from being found.

"Over the course of three and a half hours, we drifted 11 kilometres, so you can work out the pace on that, but that's not something you are going to be swimming against".

The Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter was one of the aircraft tasked with trying to find them.

At the controls was Pilot Nathan Blackberry.

"We had gusting 20 to 30 knot winds, we had swells that were easily two meters, so near impossible actually", he said.

The divers couldn't be located all day on Saturday and so had to prepare to spend a long night together drifting at sea - no life rafts, just their scuba gear with an all-important dry suit and their legs dangling in the water.

"We weren't in any danger of sinking; we were floating, we were in our suits, so we were warm. That part of it was fine, it was just how do we make them see where we are?" Fitzgerald said.

The current carried the pair out to sea and then turned south, drifting towards the Gold Coast.

Over the 21-hour period the pair drifted 25 kilometres in waters renowned for shark activity.

"At no point did it enter my mind that this is going to be it, this is a serious situation, you know we have serious choices to make here, but fear wasn't going to help in that being afraid is not going to help me in this situation," Stu said.