Dog swept out to sea rescued from island 800 metres off coast

Dog rescued off island after being swept into ocean at Batemans Bay Mon 1 Jun 2026 at 7:06pm In short: A dog has been rescued after being swept off rocks on the New South Wales far south coast. The canine swam 800 metres to safety on a nearby island before being rescued by Marine NSW. What's next? Rangers are now looking for the dog's owner. A dog who was swept off rocks on the NSW far south coast has been rescued from an island almost 1 kilometre off the coast. The large brown and white pooch was found on Snapper Island at Batemans Bay. Volunteers from the local Marine Rescue were alerted to the dog in danger around noon today. "We received two phone calls, one from a member of the public at Observation Point and the other from national parks," Marine Rescue NSW Inspector Glenn Sullivan said. Loading..."They said that there was a dog had been washed off into the water and was swimming out into the middle of water, about 200 to 300 metres offshore." A rescue team was immediately assembled. The effort included the rescue vessel Batemans Bay 20, which was tasked with investigating the incident, and a rescue jetski capable of accessing the shoreline. A call was also put out to private vessels in the area to keep an eye out for the animal in distress. When the crews arrived, the dog had swum all the way out to Snapper Island, which is about 800 metres offshore. "It would have been a fair swim out there," Inspector Sullivan said. "[The dog] was swimming around for 20 minutes to half an hour before it made it to shore. "That would have taken a fair degree of stamina to be able to undertake that type of a swim." Two volunteers on a jetski went ashore to try and encourage the dog to safety, but it took time. "After an hour of trying to chase it around and coax it back to the vessel, we were able to secure it and bring it back," Inspector Sullivan said. The dog was transported to the waiting boat on the back of the jetski, and shortly after onto dry land. "We got it back to shore and it's now nice and safe," Inspector Sullivan said. He said a small search was also undertaken at Observation Head to make sure there were no signs of anyone nearby who may have been in distress. "We had to make sure there wasn't somebody in the water that the dog might have tried to chase, to rescue its owner," he said. The dog is now in the hands of Eurobodalla Shire Council rangers, who will see if it is microchipped. "The dog looked in a fit and healthy condition ... hopefully they will find the owner," Inspector Sullivan said. "I've personally never rescued an animal in this fashion before."