In a gut-punching interview that has left the Gold Coast reeling, the father of missing fisherman Ashley “Ash” Haigh has broken his silence, revealing the deep family roots behind his son’s lifelong passion for the sea—and delivering a devastating line that has families across Australia holding their breath: “My son always loved this. If he had to choose a place to rest, it would probably be the sea.”

The poignant words from Haigh’s father, spoken amid the agony of a suspended search, paint a portrait of a man whose life was intertwined with the ocean from childhood. Fishing wasn’t just a hobby for Ash Haigh—it was tradition, legacy, and identity, passed down through generations of the Haigh family. His father described how the pull of the water ran in their blood, with Ash growing up hearing stories of epic catches, calm mornings on the deck, and the quiet reverence for the vast blue expanse that both gave and took.

“Ash was raised on the water,” his father told reporters in a voice heavy with grief. “From the time he could walk, he was on boats with me, with uncles, learning knots, reading tides, chasing the next bite. It’s what our family does. It’s who we are. He never questioned it—he embraced it. The sea was his church, his escape, his everything.”

The revelation comes as the official search for the 44-year-old father of young children was heartbreakingly suspended on Monday, February 9, 2026, after four grueling days of air, sea, and volunteer efforts yielded no further signs of life. Haigh vanished on Thursday, February 5, after departing The Spit on the Gold Coast at 6:30 a.m. aboard his black half-cabin boat, the Grey Ghost. An experienced game fisherman and former president of the Gold Coast Game Fish Club, he was targeting marlin in conditions described as ideal—calm seas, no storms, perfect for a solo run.

But by evening, when he failed to return to Runaway Bay Marina or check out, alarm spread like wildfire through the tight-knit fishing community. Water police located the unmanned vessel drifting 46 kilometers (about 25 nautical miles) offshore near Burleigh Heads around 2 a.m. Friday. The boat was in “generally good condition,” with keys out of the ignition, wallet left in his car ashore, and phone unaccounted for. One life jacket was missing from the usual four, sparking fragile hope he might have donned it and stayed afloat.

An inactive EPIRB registered to Haigh was recovered Saturday about 14 nautical miles off Ballina, northern New South Wales—another puzzle piece that has fueled speculation but provided no closure. The massive operation, spanning Queensland and New South Wales waters and covering over 1,800 square nautical miles, transitioned to recovery phase Sunday before ending entirely Monday at last light.

Now, as the waves continue their indifferent roll, Haigh’s father’s words have struck a raw nerve. They underscore not just the tragedy, but the profound bond Ash shared with the ocean—a bond so deep that even in the worst-case scenario, his family finds a bittersweet solace in imagining him at peace there.

“My boy was never happier than when he was out there,” his father continued. “The salt on his skin, the rod in his hand, the horizon wide open. He respected the sea, knew its dangers, but he loved it more. If something happened—and God forbid it did—if he had to choose where to lay his head forever, I think he’d pick the ocean. It’s where his heart was.”

The statement has rippled through social media, fishing forums, and local news, where tributes pour in for the man described as “the backbone of our family and the local fishing community.” His sister Lauren Haigh’s earlier emotional post—”Very loved… We pray for answers”—now feels even more poignant alongside her father’s reflections.

Friends echo the sentiment. Andrew Dunbar, a 15-year friend who spoke to Haigh the night before his trip, told 9News: “Ash was solid, experienced, always planning to come home for dinner with his family.” Yet even he acknowledged the conditions were “the best you could expect” for survival if he went overboard.

A GoFundMe to support Haigh’s wife, children, and extended family has raised thousands, with donors writing messages like “He lived for the sea—may it bring him peace” and “Praying for a miracle, but honoring a life well-lived on the water.”

Police continue to urge tips from the public, emphasizing that any new information could prompt a resumption of efforts. But with no debris, no clothing, no further signals, the reality settles in heavy: the sea may have claimed one of its own.

For the Haigh family, the pain is compounded by the beauty of what they’ve lost. Ash wasn’t just a fisherman—he was a link in a chain of tradition, a father passing on the same lessons his own dad once taught him. In his father’s words lies both unbearable sorrow and a quiet acceptance: the ocean that gave Ash so much joy might now hold him forever.

As lanterns flicker at marinas along the Gold Coast and boats bob gently in the night, one truth echoes louder than the waves: Ash Haigh lived for the sea. And if fate demanded a final choice, his father believes he would have chosen it willingly.

The search may be over, but for those who loved him, the vigil never ends. Somewhere beyond the horizon, perhaps the man who knew the tides better than most has found his eternal calm.

In the Haigh family tradition, the sea always calls its children home.