watery grave

It's all happening over there: the biggest news is three blokes from the eastern suburbs were plucked, wrung out, from the water off the West End.

The divers were about three km off the beautiful island when they drifted from their boat on Sunday morning.

Police said the men were lucky to survive.

“They were swept away in a very, very strong northerly current,” one officer said.

Water Police were on patrol in the area and only saw one of the divers because he was signalling with a loop from his cray line and his catch bag.

The exhausted man was plucked from the water half a kilometre from his vessel and told police he had been drifting for about an hour.

Officers soon located the other two men – one had severe cramps, could no longer swim and didn't have a flotation device.

The water policeman said one of the divers admitted things would have ended differently if police hadn't seen them.

“Given the distance they were from their boat this could easily have become a search for bodies later in the day,” he said.

“They are very lucky to be alive.”

Obligatory safety advice: it is essential for divers, fishers and swimmers to let people know detailed information about where they were going and when they would return.

Saying you are going diving off the West End is not enough detail.

No word yet on how Antonia is doing at the Lodge.

This bloke has the right idea about things to do: a trip to Rottnest is at the top of his list.