The family of a man who died when the boat he was fishing in capsized in rough seas earlier this week has praised his close friend for staying with him "until the end".
Peter Verrall, 72, from Tailem Bend, died when he and another fisherman were out in a small boat off Long Point on South Australia's Coorong coast when the vessel capsized in rough seas about 9:30pm on Thursday.
His body was recovered about 12:00pm on Friday, after his companion — 71-year-old Bob Lloyd — raised the alarm.
Police said Mr Lloyd was forced to swim hundreds of metres to safety before being found curled up with hypothermia.
In a statement, Mr Verrall's family described him as "more than just a husband, father, brother and grandfather".
The family also revealed that Mr Verrall had lost his one-year-old son to the water in 1970.
"In the irony of it, the water claimed his [infant] son and now it was the water that claimed his life too," the family said.
The family were full of praise for Mr Verrall's friend, Mr Lloyd, who "bravely" stayed with him in the water, enduring the elements during the capsize accident.
"As for his fishing mate Bob, who bravely stayed with Peter until the end, his family will be eternally grateful," the family said.
"A mate was by his side when Peter took his last breath."
'What you saw is what you got with Peter'
The family said they would remember Mr Verrall as a generous man who would go out of his way to help people and as someone who was "everyone's mate".
"He loved his family and his friends but the love for his mates knew no bounds," the statement said.
"He would go out of his way to help people in need, especially other veterans and their families.
"His wife of 51 years said 'what you saw is what you got with Peter', and what you got was a genuine, down-to-earth, hard-working man.
"Whilst Peter was not a saint he will be fondly remembered by many as a generous man who tragically died doing what he loved to do — fishing with a mate."
Mr Lloyd was taken to Meningie and Districts Memorial Hospital before being transferred to Flinders Medical Centre in a stable condition.
