Father swept out to sea at Salmon Holes in Albany remembered as beloved family figure
A beloved father and husband who has not been seen since he was swept off rocks in front of his desperate family has been remembered as a caring and dedicated person.
Monitake 'Moni' Karakaua visited Salmon Holes, a popular but notorious fishing spot near Albany in Western Australia 's Great Southern, with his wife, two children and friends on Anzac Day.
Their day out turned to tragedy when the 29-year-old disappeared into the surf after losing his footing and falling from the rocks about 1.30pm.
His life jacket reportedly failed to inflate and friends could not reach him with buoys.
Despite an extensive, multi-day search the Fijian national has not been found.
'I had tried to tell him to come back to the shore,' Moni's wife Tongauea told 7NEWS.com.au.
'I witnessed everything. It's just devastating.
'I was helpless. My heart breaks.'
Tragically, the incident came just weeks after the couple had celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary.
Tongauea said she 'felt something was wrong' on the day, given the 'sea was rough' and the smooth granite rocks slant down towards to the water.
But her husband was 'very calm' and was happy to stay with his friends, she said.
Tongauea said her husband was a 'workaholic', a dedicated man of faith, and the ultimate family figure for her and their children, six-year-old Arima and eight-year-old Sarah.
'I'm so blessed to have him as a husband and their father,' she told 7NEWS.com.au.
'No one can replace him — he's an incredible person.
'It's really hard (to not have him with me).'
The grieving mother only moved to Australia with her children from Fiji about seven months ago.
Moni had come before them, establishing himself in Katanning, 277km southeast of Perth, where he had worked at sheep meat processor WAMMCO.
Tongauea said her husband was keen for the family to make the move to Australia for a better life, and was loving life in his new home.
Given their visa situation, the family will now have to make another major shift and return to Fiji.
'She faces an uncertain future and the overwhelming responsibility of raising their children alone,' family friend Sharon Muir said in a GoFundMe set up to support her.
'They are now facing the difficult task of leaving Australia and returning to Fiji where they hope to find emotional support, extended family, and a chance to rebuild their lives.'
Tongauea said she had been overwhelmed by the support shown to her and her children by those in Albany immediately after her husband went missing, and her community in Katanning in the weeks since.
More than a dozen people have died at Salmon Holes after being washed off rocks at the 'beautiful but treacherous beach' in the past 40 years.
Life jackets were made mandatory at the rock fishing hotspot in 2019, following a trial to improve safety.
Albany resident Paul Smetham called for the rocks to be closed off over Easter, which coincides with the annual salmon run.
He said many visiting tourists are unaware of the dangers.
'We've got steep, smooth granite rocks that slope into the ocean, they get really wet and really slippery,' he told the ABC last month.
'We also get really big swells there. Myself and other locals won't go out there if it's over 2m.'
Parks authorities had issued a warning just weeks before Moni fell into the water.
'Don't risk it. The salmon run has started along the south coast, drawing keen fishers to popular places like Salmon Holes in Albany,' WA's Parks and Wildlife Service posted on April 5.
'Rock fishing is extremely dangerous and people have lost their lives from slipping or being washed into the ocean by large waves, gusty winds and slippery surfaces.
'Even calm days can quickly turn.
'Use the anchor points installed at Salmon Holes and wear a lifejacket, or better still, fish from the beach and keep the sand between your toes.'
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