UPDATED: A third body has been found in the search for three fishermen missing off Altona, police say.
Steven Do, 30, his brother David Do, 31, and their friend Phong Nguyen, 35, were testing out their new boat when they disappeared on Sunday afternoon, distraught relatives said.
The search for the men, all from Sunshine West, resumed in Port Phillip Bay shortly before 9am on Monday.
One man’s body was found about 10am, nine kilometres south-east of where the fishermen’s upturned boat was found on Sunday afternoon.
The body of the second fisherman was found about two hours later.
The third body was located about 2.30pm, around 1km north of where the second body was located.
While the bodies are still to be formally identified, they are believed to be those of the missing fisherman, police said.
Julie Lieu, the girlfriend of Steven Do, said the men “always enjoyed fishing” together.
She said she received a phone call from Mr Do’s mother on Sunday afternoon.
“His mum called me and said ‘police were around at my house’,” she said.
Ms Lieu, 25, joined the families of the Do brothers and Mr Nguyen as they kept a vigil at the water front on Monday morning.
“Life isn’t meant to be fair,” she said.
Phong Nguyen. Photo: Supplied
Mr Do was a sign-writer, while his older brother and Mr Nguyen worked at a hardware company.
Water police Senior Sergeant Mark O’Rourke said the men were average swimmers and inexperienced, having purchased the small boat, an aluminium punt, five months ago. One of the Do brothers was licensed.
Senior Sergeant O’Rourke said the boat was more suited to inland waterways.
The men set off about 11am on Sunday, he said.
It was not until a fisherman spotted their upturned boat about 4pm that the men’s family and police realised something was wrong.
Senior Sergeant O’Rourke said the men had taken life jackets with them, but it was not known if they were wearing them.
Four coast guard boats, a police boat, a helicopter and search and rescue squad divers have been trawling a 120-square-nautical-mile area between the north end of the bay and Fawkner Beacon, which is a major navigational point.
“We’ll continue searching during daylight hours and reassess when it gets dark,” Senior Sergeant O’Rourke said.
He urged boaters to know the weather conditions and their own capabilities before setting out.
“If there’s any doubt don’t go out,” he said.
Seaholme Boat Owners Association member Ramon Harris described Sunday’s conditions out on the bay as “treacherous”.
“It was rough,” Mr Harris said.
“It was very windy, probably up around 20 knots. Northerlies can be treacherous.”
Gale-force winds whipped up off the coast of Altona overnight, as temperatures dropped to 13 degrees in nearby Laverton.
Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Dean Stewart said average wind speed was about 30 knots, or around 55km/h, on Sunday afternoon.
While there was no official measure, Mr Stewart said waves would have been up to 1.5 metres in the bay overnight.
Mr Stewart said searchers would face gusty conditions.
“It’ll be fairly choppy once again with those sort of winds. Not ideal conditions for sure.”
Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
This story first appeared in The Age
