Marine Rescue volunteers during the search for Nelson and Joshua Chan after they disappeared while rock fishing off Kiama in 2024. Photo: Marine Rescue.
Nelson Chan was passionate about fishing. Despite living in landlocked Liverpool, the 47-year-old husband and father of two would often make trips to his favourite fishing spots – Wattamolla Beach, Gerringong, Windang and Kiama’s Storm Bay.
Quite often, Nelson would leave for fishing in the afternoon to return by midnight ready for work the following day.
Occasionally his eldest son, Joshua, would accompany his dad.
Joshua, an academic high achiever, had recently completed his HSC trial exams when, on Monday 19 August 2024, he and his father decided to go fishing.
They had spent the morning together, playing football and Nelson giving his son a driving lesson.
Sometime after 3 pm, the pair set off for their fishing trip. About 5:30 pm, Joshua spoke with his brother Jacob and said the pair were already fishing.
It was the last conversation they had. The pair never returned home and their bodies have not been found.
A recent coronial inquest has determined that Nelson and Joshua, reported missing on 20 August from near Storm Bay, Kiama, are both deceased.
Deputy State Coroner Judge Kasey Pearce found that in both cases “the available evidence and the absence of any postmortem examination do not allow for any finding to be made as to either the cause or manner of [their] deaths”.
The Coroners Court heard that Nelson’s wife Clarissa had tried calling Joshua about 9 pm to discuss dinner but he didn’t answer. She tried Nelson’s phone but it didn’t answer either, instead going straight to voice mail.
Jacob told his mother he wasn’t sure where the pair was going fishing, but thought it may have been to Wattamolla, in the Royal National Park.
Clarissa tried both phones again about 11 pm and repeatedly into the early hours of the following day. Just after 2 am, she contacted police to say the pair had not returned from fishing.
Police pinpointed Kiama as the location of the last mobile ping on both phones. When police arrived at Kiama Harbour about 4:30 am, they found Nelson’s car and soon after located a fishing rod and mobile phone on a cliff edge at Storm Bay.
A witness told police he had seen two individuals walking toward the lower cliff area at Storm Bay about 5:30 pm the previous evening, but couldn’t identify them as Nelson or Joshua.
Extensive land and marine searches were conducted from 20 August involving police, marine area command, State Emergency Service and Marine Rescue, among others.
“Police divers attended the location and reported that the surge was pulling off rocks into a drop-off with strong southeast currents, which would likely have submerged and dragged a person off in the current,” the Coroners Court heard.
“Later that day, Dr Luckin, an expert in outdoor survivability, was consulted by police. Based on environmental conditions, time elapsed, water temperature, lack of flotation, darkness and lack of inherent natural insulation and buoyancy, in Dr Luckin’s opinion, Nelson and Joshua could not have survived beyond the afternoon of 20 August.”
Police at the time confirmed neither men were wearing life jackets.
The search continued over the following days with no sign of the pair.
Judge Pearce ruled that it was “most likely” that Nelson and Joshua died sometime on either 19 or 20 August.
“ … It is most likely that Nelson and Joshua entered the water unintentionally in the vicinity of Storm Bay. Whether Nelson and Joshua were already injured or incapacitated at the time they entered the water is not known. However, given the evidence regarding Nelson and Joshua’s possible period of survivability it is most likely that they died in the ocean waters in the vicinity of Storm Bay,” she found.
“Given the circumstance in which Nelson and Joshua were fishing, it is plausible that the manner of their deaths is misadventure.”
Judge Pearce did not make any recommendations as a result of the inquest, instead referencing the efforts Kiama Council had already made to address the dangers associated with rock fishing in the area.
Just last month, the council moved to request the NSW Government declare Storm Bay and all rock platforms in the LGA as high-risk rock fishing locations. Such a declaration would require all fishermen to wear life jackets while fishing, or face fines.
Wollongong is currently the only LGA in the region declared high-risk.
“Nothing in the evidence in this matter lends itself to the making of any recommendations pursuant to [section] 82 of the act, particularly given the efforts the council has already made to address the dangers associated with rock fishing in the Kiama Municipal Council area,” Judge Pearce said.
In closing the inquest, Judge Pearce said it was hoped that one day further information may come to light that may “provide some measure of solace to Nelson and Joshua’s family”.
“Families whose loved one is reported missing, but is not found, experience a grief, pain and uncertainty that is impossible to put into words,” she said.
“Once again on behalf of the Coroners Court, I offer my sincere and respectful condolences to Nelson and Joshua’s family and to Clarissa and Jacob in particular.”
A great article, Jeremy. A key step in Wollongong’s growth as a viable alternative to living in… View