Quacking find: Fishers spot huge rubber duck off the Australian coast after swimming club loses it

  • 17/03/2018
Daphne prior to her escape.
Daphne prior to her escape. Photo credit: Facebook/Coogee Jetty to Jetty Swim

An Australian swimming club has offered a reward for a missing giant inflatable rubber duck after it took to the skies and set up for an event.

Daphne the duck was controversially procured by the Cockburn Masters Swimming Club as a mascot for its events, Australia's ABC reports.

She made her great escape just before the club's Coogee Beach jetty to jetty swim on Sunday.

Roughly the size of a small caravan and with a price tag of AU$900 (NZ$960), not everyone in the club wanted to purchase her, especially president Peter Marr.

"I didn't want the duck whatsoever," he told Australia's ABC. "We're a small organisation trying to run a swim that makes money for our club."

Despite his dislike of the duck, Mr Marr ventured into the water to try and get her back, but his efforts to catch her were not successful.

"I probably overestimated my ability and underestimated Daphne's hunger for freedom and she just bolted."

Sightings of Daphne have been reported off the coast, including one by a group of fishermen 15km west of Rottnest Island.

There's even rumours she's made it 400km north of Coogee Beach.

Anyone who sees Daphne during her journey on the high seas has been asked to contact the Cockburn Masters Swimming Club. They're offering swimming merchandise and free entry into next year's swim as a reward.

Newshub.