- A day on the water could have been the last for Av Mason, 42 from Ellenbrook, WA, and his kids.
- Arriving at a new fishing spot, Av watched as a rogue ferocious wave of water crashed against his boat.
- Flipping it upside down, Av and his daughter, Laila were trapped in the boats cabin as it sunk.
Here Av tells his story in his own words.
Sharing a beer with my wife, Carla, then 41, at the pub, we both smiled.
It was June 2024, and together with our kids, Evander, then 17, and Laila, 13, we’d spent the week on a family holiday in Shark Bay, Western Australia, after receiving good news about Carla’s health.
Heartbreakingly, she’d been diagnosed with brain tumours in June 2021.
Thankfully the tumours were non-cancerous, but they’d been pressing on her brain stem, causing facial disfigurement.
She’d needed emergency surgery to replace a large section of her skull and eye socket with prosthetic bone. Now her condition was stable, sitting around the table with my family felt like a miracle.
We were also joined by our eldest, Tyson, 23, his wife, Shanae, 22, and their kids, Ace, three, and Lennox, nine months.
The following day, Evander, Laila and I decided to go on one last fish for mackerel in our boat, while the others stayed back at the cabin.
We’d gone around an hour and a half off the coast of Shark Bay to a spot recommended by mates.
Peering over the edge of the 6.7m by 2.1m boat, we saw the silver scales of mackerel glisten as Evander cast a line.
But soon, the water became choppy as the wind picked up.
While Laila and I kept control of the wheel in the cabin, Evander was thrilled when his line thrashed around, indicating a big one.
Then I heard Laila let out a terrifying scream.
READ MORE: ‘Ocean rescue: ‘I was swept out to sea’’
‘Dad look!’ she shrieked.
I looked around and that’s when I saw it.
A rogue six-metre wave was barrelling towards us.
We had life jackets on board but hadn’t been wearing them, so we had no choice but to try and outrun it.
Firing up the engine, I tore away from the wave, which was around 15 metres away.
But we were no match against the ferocious wall of water.
A rouge six-metre wave was barrelling towards us
As it crashed down on the back of our boat, the force flipped us, and the boat began sinking immediately.
Trapped in the cabin with Laila, I felt like we were being tossed around in a washing machine, as the boat was propelled towards the ocean floor.
I prayed Evander was still alive…
Underwater and blinded by the whitewash, I frantically felt around for my girl.
The lack of oxygen had my head spinning and lungs burning, but I refused to give up.
Finally, I felt Laila’s lifeless body.
Grabbing her arm with one hand, I used the other to feel our way out of the upturned boat, kicking with all my might towards the surface.
READ MORE: ‘My Girl Drowned In Our Backyard Spa’
When we finally broke through, I gasped for air, but by now, Laila’s skin had turned blue.
Then her eyes suddenly flicked open and she coughed up mouthfuls of sea water.
‘Thank God you’re alive!’ I cried, holding her tight.
But within seconds, a second rogue wave crashed over us, pulling us under again.
Fighting what felt like a war against the waves, I wrapped my legs around Laila as I used my arms to pull us back towards the surface.
When we reached the top, I heard Evander in the distance.
‘Try to swim to me!’
I was so relieved my kids had survived.
‘Try to swim to me!’ he called out. But we were powerless against the waves.
Peering around, I spotted a fishing boat in the distance, but disappointingly it was travelling in the opposite direction.
Then Laila spotted danger lurking beneath.
‘Daddy there’s a shark swimming under us,’ she cried, terrified.
Mustering my strength, I held my girl’s body as far as I could out of the water, desperate to keep her safe.
But after 45 minutes of treading water, I was fading fast.
READ MORE: ‘Olympic swimmer tells: ‘The day I nearly drowned’’
Succumbing to exhaustion, I was convinced I was going to die.
‘I’m so sorry I’ve done this to you. Tell Mummy I love her,’ I sobbed, knowing I didn’t have much fight left in me.
‘Please don’t go!’ I heard Laila beg as my eyes closed.
‘I love you baby,’ I whispered, surrendering to the waves as my world went black…
‘Are my kids alive?’
Coming to, pain roared through me and I heard the whirr of a boat’s engine. I’ve been saved, I realised, as it raced towards the shore.
‘Are my kids alive?’ I asked desperately.
‘We’re right here,’ they answered, explaining that the fishing boat I’d seen had changed direction after spotting Evander in the water.
The three fishermen, Anton, Norman and Darren pulled Evander to safety, before spotting the lifeless bodies of Laila and me.
After I’d passed out, Laila bravely trod water until she too lost consciousness.
Horrifyingly, my body had started to sink below the surface.
Thankfully our rescuers were able to bring us both back, while one of them called emergency services and also notified Carla.
Back on land, emergency crew were waiting to transfer us to hospital, where we were checked over and treated for hypothermia, saltwater on the lungs and shock.
‘It’s a miracle you’re alive,’ a doctor said.
After three hours I was discharged. ‘I thought I’d lost you,’ Carla cried.
We extended our stay to recover, returning home to Perth a week later.
A year on, I’m still haunted by our ordeal.
‘You saved Laila’s life,’ Carla reminds me.
Although the kids have refused to go back on a boat, I’m so proud of their resilience.
Every day I get with my family now is a blessing.
Evander, 18, says:
When the wave crashed over us I was standing on the back of the boat and was thrown into the open water.
Landing in a calm patch of water, I watched as our boat went down.
I knew Dad and Laila were trapped underneath and tried swimming towards them to help, but I was no match for the waves.
It’s a miracle we all made it out alive.
Laila, 14, says:
The last thing I remember, the giant waving wall was coming right for us.
When I came to on the surface of the water there were more big waves crashing over us again and again.
While treading water, I spotted a shark circling under us but thankfully it didn’t come any closer.
Hearing dad scream my name on the rescue boat, I was so grateful he was alive.
