Teamwork between the Police Maritime Unit and Westpac Rescue Helicopter successfully rescued a diver and boaties in windy and choppy waters off the Wellington South Coast earlier this week.
Around 4pm on Thursday 5 March, the Wellington Police Maritime Unit responded to a 111-emergency call to Police from two people on board a 5.4m runabout on Wellington's South Coast.
The boaties were experiencing gale force winds up to 88km/h, it was getting rougher with up to 2m waves as they were being blown out to sea.
The boaties also reported that the boat owner and skipper who had been on the trip with them had been scuba diving closer to shore and was still in the water.
With the escalating situation and risk to the boaties and diver's lives, Police called on emergency support from Life Flight's Westpac Rescue Helicopter and Wellington's Volunteer Coastguard to assist in rescue efforts.
Around 4.30pm, the Police Launch vessel, Lady Elizabeth IV, located the small runabout about 6km off Wellington's South Coast.
The missing skipper/scuba diver was the only one of the three of them who knew how to drive the boat properly. The two boaties left onboard were unable to drive the boat to safety.
Crew on the Police Launch were able to use their tender (inflatable boat) to safely put a crew member onto the runabout. This was challenging in the rough conditions but necessary in the circumstances.
Launch Crew member Constable Stephanie Cox was able to take control and drove the runabout back to Owhiro Bay boat ramp on Wellington's South Coast.
Around 5.30pm after the initial 111 call to Police, the Westpac Rescue helicopter located the missing diver on a remote shore waving out to them. The diver had surfaced after his dive, realised his boat had gone and he then managed to swim to shore on the south coast. The diver was flown back to the Life Flight base at Wellington Airport.
Both boaties and the diver were unharmed but shaken after the experience.
Senior Launch Master Constable Nicko McGregor says the incident highlights the importance of preparation before going out on the water.
"These two men can consider themselves lucky. These difficult weather conditions were no place for a small runabout to be."
Constable McGregor says when heading out on the water, make sure you:
- Check the weather, sometimes the wind and waves can couple to make an unsafe day on the water - especially if you're not a confident and experienced boatie
- Carry proper safety equipment
- Have at least two forms of communication, and ensure they are put in a waterproof case or pouch
- Everyone on board understands basic emergency procedures.
"This is a reminder of how quickly situations at sea can change. Good preparation and formal training make a real difference when things don't go to plan on the water," says Constable McGregor.
