Tributes as divers called in
THE family and friends of two beloved mates who tragically died after a day out on the water continue to share tributes as police prepare to take their search underwater for their missing friend.
The Westpac Rescue chopper and a police vessel searched the Wynyard coastline for Thomas Courto and the trio’s missing boat on Sunday after the bodies of Isaiah Dixon and Bree-Anne Thomas were found washed ashore near Fossil Bluff on Wednesday.
Tasmania Police will bring
in underwater sonar and divers to ramp up search efforts on Monday, with loved ones hoping for a miracle.
“Tasmania Police have sought the services of an underwater surveyor who will provide a multi-beam sonar,
which will hopefully enable us to locate the missing vessel,” Inspector Steve Jones said.
“It’ll search around 320 hectares of underwater area that we suspect the missing boat is in … and Thomas as well.”
It has been a week since the boating buddies took off for a day out and never returned.
Isaiah’s sister, Gitana Dixon, took to social media to express her heartbreak and gratitude for the tight-knit community in the North-West, which has rallied behind the trio’s family and friends.
“I am trying to find the strength to live in this world without you but I know if love could have saved you, you would have walked on water home to us,” she said.
“I know what it feels like to love someone more than you love yourself but unfortunately I also now know what a truly broken heart feels like. I will try my hardest to do what you would want us to do but it’s going to be the hardest battle of our lives.”
Khyle Frost, owner of Wynyard’s The Wharf Hotel, also took a moment to remember his old friend, affectionately describing the 23-year-old as one of his favourite customers.
“The army of friends and support you have, Isaiah, is testament to the impact you had on every person you touched and I’m honoured to have grown up with you in this place we call home,” he said.
“There will always be a beer for you on our bar. I miss your face, mate.”
The watering hole was where Bree-Anna Thomas worked as operations manager for the past six months and was known by colleagues as a “beacon for hospitality”.
“Bree-Anna was our future,” Mr Frost said. “(She) reminded me that work can be a happy place. Her vitality and energy, her love for life is pretty much the only thing getting me out of bed in the morning.
“She truly made our world a better place. I am a better person for having known her.”