A Busselton man and four teenagers have been left shaken after a close call on the Blackwood River on January 27.
Keen water skier Phil Famlonga was teaching his son and friends how to disc in the water ski area when disaster almost struck.
“Two of the kids were on the boat, and two were in the water and they fell off their discs,” he said.
“I did what you are meant to do and put the boat between the kids in the water and anyone coming up the river.
“I saw this boat coming, it looked like it was moving, usually a boat would go around but it went right over us.
“The impact was so hard the boat jumped the two kids in the water on the other side.”
Luckily, no one was hurt, however, Mr Famlonga’s boat was written off.
I saw this boat coming, it looked like it was moving, usually a boat would go around but it went right over us. The impact was so hard the boat jumped the two kids in the water on the other side....If you did that in a car, on the road, you would be charged.
- Phil Famlonga
He reported the incident to authorities, but is yet to hear if there will be any ramifications for the other boat’s skipper.
“If you did that in a car, on the road, you would be charged,” he said.
“I just want people to be aware and have some vigilance.
“When people see a road crash, they look at their speedometer, I want this to do the same for boaties.
“The other guy even said ‘my bad, I was not paying attention’.”
He said the incident could have been far worse with just a few seconds to make efforts to avoid the crash.
“If I didn't put my boat in the way, someone would have died.”
Ultimately, Mr Famlonga said he was thankful no one was hurt.
“I just yelled to the two in the boat get down, and they hit the deck. They were covered in glass but luckily not a scratch on them,” he said.
“They were all pretty shaken, it was a very loud bang. I lost the boat, but four kids went home so it was the best result possible.”