Volunteer Marine Rescue

Volunteer Marine Rescue Whitsunday is a squadron of Marine Rescue Queensland with our main objective being to SAVE LIVES AT SEA. We provide marine search and rescue services to the boating public on a volunteer basis.

We achieve this by operating a "Marine Safety Net" in the Whitsunday region from Gloucester Island/Passage to Cape Conway and Shaw Island in the south – over 13,000 square kilometres – and one of the largest territories in the state.

We own and operate a 11.9m purpose built Noosa Cat Rescue vessel and our operation is run entirely by volunteers including boat crew, radio operators, management, fundraisers, trainers and every other person in our organisation. This is the only blue water rescue vessel in the area.

We receive a small annual grant from the QLD State Government, with the remainder of our operating costs being met through local fundraising, generous sponsorship and donations, membership fees and the charging of non-members for assistance provided.

In 2018 we are activated 120 times, for a mixture of tow assists, search and rescues, medical evacuations from boats and island resorts (and campers), transfers of Queensland Ambulance Service, Queensland Fire and Rescue and also the Queensland Police Service to emergency situations. This is a 27% increase over prior years and included over 30 medivacs from island resorts and offshore vessels.

On average our volunteers put in over 2,000 man hours a year, our vessel uses 25,000 litres of fuel a year and including depreciation costs over $60,000 a year to run. This is a lot of time and money, but given the lives we save and the safety net we provide, the money and sacrifice is small.

We need your support to help VMR Whitsunday fund its operation and commission a smaller secondary vessel so we can continue to assist the marine and islands communities in the Whitsundays.