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Four men save 4WD stranded in ocean at Broome’s Cable Beach

Tom ZaunmayrBroome Advertiser
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VideoTwo Landcruisers had to drag a written off car out of the water after it got caught in Cable Beach's big tides.

Don’t bring a knife to a gun fight.

It is the age-old adage which played out on Broome’s famous Cable Beach today when an all-wheel-drive hire car was left parked below the high tide line with its handbrake on.

By 11.30am the vehicle was starting to bob up and down in the water with about an hour still to go before high tide.

An initial rescue party consisting of four blokes — one donning a neat pair of budgie smugglers — assessed the situation in front of a gathering crowd.

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The first recovery attempt using a winch failed, at which point a man with a fishing rod took the opportunity for a not-to-miss happy snap with what was looking like becoming a new artificial reef.

The vehicle after being dragged out of the water
Camera IconThe vehicle after being dragged out of the water

A second recovery attempt involving a lifted ‘Cruiser with two snatch straps saw some success — with a few jolts and plenty of berries the car was pulled to the waters’ edge before one of the straps broke.

With the tide still coming in the heavy artillery was called upon. Two big ‘Cruisers with a strap tied through the car’s wheels worked in tandem to drag the written-off car up the beach and out of harm’s way.

One of the two rescuers, King Tide Towing’s Ian Anderson, said beach callouts were a regular event in Broome.

“We got a call that these guys had left their car on the beach and no one could reach them, couldn’t get them on their phone and it was a rental car,” he said.

“We couldn’t get in the car and the handbrake was on so we had to drag it which was pretty hard on the vehicles.

“The biggest point is trying to get something to hook into with these new cars because they just don’t have hook points.”

Tuesday’s incident is the fourth on Cable Beach in the past month.

In May a red Nissan Patrol was written off when it was swallowed by a big tide north of the rocks.

One day later two cars were saved minutes before being completely submerged at Gantheaume Beach, the same place Tuesday’s write-off occurred.

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