West Australian police suspend search for student Heng Yi Goh, swept off rocks at Yallingup
ABC South West WA
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By Zoe Keenan, Kate Stephens and Roxanne Taylor
Posted 1hhour ago, updated 1hhourago
Student Heng Yi Goh was with friends when he was swept into huge seas that hampered search efforts.(Picture: Supplied)
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ABC South West WA
/
By Zoe Keenan, Kate Stephens and Roxanne Taylor
Posted 1hhour ago, updated 1hhourago
Student Heng Yi Goh was with friends when he was swept into huge seas that hampered search efforts.(Picture: Supplied)
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- Police have called off a marine search for 23-year-old international student Heng Yi Goh, who was swept off rocks near Yallingup this week.
Key points:- Singaporean Heng Yi Goh, 23, was knocked off the rocks by large waves
- Mr Goh had been taking photos of the swell when he was swept in
- Rescue boats were stood down due to treacherous conditions
They described Mr Goh's futile attempts to get back to safety before he was swamped by a second big wave and disappeared.
"He was swept off by a wave, managed to scramble back on a rock, and then was hit again by another wave and wasn't seen since," said Sergeant Jane Gillham, officer-in-charge at Dunsborough Police Station.
"It's quite steep, it would be a couple of metres to the water level from where he was standing."
The search was called off late on Friday.
Photo trip goes horribly wrong
Mr Goh, a Singaporean studying a Masters of Economics, was with five friends, all international students, taking photos of the waves when he was swept away.
"I guess they underestimated the power of the surf that comes in there," Sergeant Gillham said.
Police have grave concerns amidst massive swell at Injidup Natural Spa.(ABC South West: Anthony Pancia)
Police said the swell was about six metres when Mr Goh was swept away and conditions became so dangerous a search boat was stood down.
With hazardous four-metre swells and wind gusts up to 50 kilometres an hour continuing, searchers called in a rescue helicopter, to no avail.
The south-west coastline is notorious for dangerous surf conditions.
In April, one fisherman died and a second was taken to hospitalwhen they were knocked off rocks near Margaret River, about 50km south of Yallingup.
In 2016, a 25-year-old South West man died after jumping from rocks in the same area.
Mr Goh's family in Singapore was attempting to arrange travel to Australia.
