FRIENDS of a fisherman still lost at sea off the NSW far north coast hope he will be found safe like his two crewmates.
Skipper Charlie Picton and his two deckhands were thrown into the sea when his trawler sank about 4am (AEDT) yesterday off the coast of Byron Bay.One of the deckhands, named as Michael Williams, 39, made a marathon 12-hour swim to safety and crawled onto New Brighton Beach, north of Byron Bay, about 4pm (AEDT) yesterday.
The second deckhand, John Jarret, was plucked from the water about 8.15am today by a Queensland rescue helicopter.
He was found floating 15km north-east of Ballina, suffering from hypothermia and dehydration.
The two men are being treated in separate far north coast hospitals.
Mr Jarret's family was today overjoyed by news of his rescue.
"It's beautiful, wonderful. I just can't wait to see him," his sister Rosemary Jarret told reporters on her way into Ballina hospital with other family members.
The search continues for Mr Picton, aged in his 30s from nearby Yamba.
Picton family friend Russell Creighton said most of the fishing trawlers based in Yamba had joined the search.
"I've known Charlie for a long, long time," Mr Creighton said.
"He's a Yamba resident - born and bred there and he's been a fisherman all his life."
Mr Creighton said he was a close mate of Mr Picton's father, also a fisherman, who might be involved in the search.
"A lot of our trawlers are up there participating in the search," he said.
"He's a really, really good fisherman - a nice young bloke."
"Like everyone, I'm waiting to hear the news."
Mr Creighton said Mr Picton was married and had a number of siblings.
Mr Williams, who is believed to be from Maclean, is a blackbelt in karate and his high level of fitness was probably a factor in his survival.
Chris Gort said he was second on the scene when Mr Williams crawled ashore at New Brighton Beach, near Byron Bay, about 4pm (AEDT) yesterday.
"I was walking along the beach and came across a female who had found this gentleman that had claimed he had been swimming for hours in the water and claimed that his boat had sunk," Mr Gort told Sky News.
"He had pretty bad cuts and bruises to his legs and his arms, he was pretty exhausted, pretty badly sunburnt."
The air and sea rescue operation continues with up to 10 helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.
Police said conditions remained favourable for their search.
A spokeswoman for the Maritime Safety Authority said one of the men was found floating about 15km north-east of Ballina, on the NSW north coast, at 8.15am today.
A rescue helicopter airlifted the man to Ballina Hospital in an unknown medical condition but rescue crews are concerned for the man's wellbeing.
"Obviously he's been in the water for quite some time,'' the spokeswoman said.
Queensland Rescue spokesman Andy Christie said he spoke to the helicopter crew who located the second man.
"The crew said that he was talking, he was conscious - physically appeared to be okay ... but they were quick to point out that he had spent a very cold night in the water,'' Mr Christie told Sky News.
His friend, deckhand Michael Williams, 39, from Yamba raised the alarm. He was found in a distressed state by a local walker on New Brighton Beach, near Byron Bay, at 4pm after swimming at least seven nautical miles for help.
Williams left his two friends, skipper Charlie Picton and deckhand "JJ", clinging to an Esky from the stricken vessel the Sea Rogue, which left Yamba on Monday for a four-day prawning expedition.
The man, suffering extreme exhaustion and dehydration, told authorities the boat sank about 2am and he decided to leave the men floating in the water so he could raise the alarm.
Police said it was a miracle he managed to make it to shore.
A worker at a 24-hour emergency marine radio service based at nearby Point Danger said she heard the trawler had overturned.
Vessels working in the area were radioed to be on the lookout for "two men holding on to an Esky", she said.
Mr Williams was recuperating in Mullumbimby Hospital, where he remains in a stable condition.
It is thought the 18m, 100 tonne trawler hit a reef about 2am.
Inspector Owen King said the search would resume at daybreak today for the two men, who are also believed to be from Yamba.
Insp King said conditions in the search area, a vast expanse of ocean several nautical miles off Byron Bay, were "extremely treacherous" but was not abandoning hope for the two missing men.
"At this stage we are still looking for survivors," he said.
Lismore Westpac LifeSaver Helicopter spokesman Roger Fry told The Daily Telegraph last night the crew had made its last contact with the owner at 7pm on Monday.
Mr Fry said no emergency beacon or flares had been let off when the boat sank and after an exhaustive four-hour air search, they found nothing in the sea.
"Our crew didn't see anything, no debris, nothing whatsoever," Mr Fry said.
"We have reports they have something keeping them afloat but nothing was found. The problem is there is no definitive location of where (the boat) sank."
Rescue boats and helicopters will resume the search while police will patrol the coastline in case the men have managed to reach shore.
Uncertainty surrounds the cause of the tragedy but police dismissed reports the trawler had sunk after being struck by another, larger vessel.
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