Fishing buddies survive eight hours in the water clinging to casized vessel

At 2358 hours last night Coastguard’s Operations Centre received a call from a wife concerned that her husband had not returned from a fishing trip with two friends out from the Kaiaua Camping Groud near the Firth of Thames.

The vessel a 16ft tinny had headed out with three on-board for a fish earlier in the day but failed to return home. It was after family checked the boat ramp to see the vehicle still there late last night that the alarm was raised. The Westpac Rescue Helicopter was tasked to conduct a search of there area where at 0114 hours they located an upturned vessel matching the target description with three people clinging to the hull. Unable to winch, Coastguard volunteers were tasked to launch local Coastguard Rescue Vessel ‘Thames Rescue’ at Kopu and head to the coordinates provided by the Helicopter. Thames rescue arrived on scene shortly after 0200 hours to find all three persons clinging together with one in the water trying to keep warm. They retrieved all three persons onto the safety of ‘Thames Rescue’ where they were assessed by Coastguard volunteers who quickly provided them with blankets to get warm and then transported them to at awaiting ambulance at the Kopu Boat Ramp where they were taken to Thames Hospital for observation before being released mid-morning today.

It is estimated the trio had been in the water for up to 8 hours, with two of the three wearing lifejackets and all starting to be effected by the onset of hypothermia when retrieved from the water. It is understood that on their way home a rope from the vessel got caught around the propeller, while they worked to free the rope from the propeller the vessel turned side onto the waves where it then capsized

Alan Benson, Volunteer Skipper of Thames Rescue said “credit to them for keeping together with the safety line they made out of the rope around the propeller playing a big part in that and quite possibly saving their lives. They were very fortunate we got to them when we did as hypothermia was starting to kick in” said Mr Benson.

Conditions had calmed from earlier in the day and the all three remain incredible grateful for the search and rescue effort and the Coastguard volunteers on-board Thames Rescue for their efforts. Lion Foundation Rescue was also tasked from Auckland and arrived to secure the capsized vessel.

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