Friday, 05 February 2010
THE Whakatane Coastguard say a group of surfers riding the waves near the Whakatane Heads were instrumental in helping save the lives of a family - including a two-year-old child - whose boat flipped as they attempted to cross the bar.
The couple and their toddler were thrown from the vessel into the heavy seas at 2.20pm on Tuesday.
Coastguard Whakatane president John Ferguson said the group surfing nearby were first on the scene.
“We’ve had incredibly fast response times with our rescue boat this week, getting into the water in seven minutes - but the surfies are often out there, and on Tuesday they got to the stricken family immediately.”
The surfers had brought all three members of the family, who were from out of town, towardsA the shore.
“We saw there was one more person by the boat and thought it was another family member, so we crossed the bar and went out there,” Mr Ferguson said.
However, the person by the boat was not a victim, but another surfer trying to keep the boat safe.
“When it comes to the crunch, the surfers are incredible,” Mr Ferguson said.
While the family had underestimated the dangers of the bar, all had been wearing lifejackets - another factor that had helped avoid a tragedy.
Senior Sergeant Bruce Jenkins of the Whakatane police also had glowing praise for the surfers.
“They did a magnificent job and I’d like to know who they were.”
Whakatane harbourmaster Brian Spake said the surfers had “been involved in countless rescues” during the 20 years he had worked in Whakatane.
“They are brilliant. It’s like they are a rescue organisation of their own,” he said.
Mr Spake said the surfers had every right to share the river with the boaties, and the boaties needed to follow navigational rules to help ensure the safety of the surfers.
Meanwhile “Moko mania” contributed to another near-tragedy on the bar on Monday.
Whakatane man Grant Duffield had embarked on a mission to see the friendly dolphin, taking to the water in a small inflatable dinghy he had bought at The Warehouse.
“I have never rowed a boat before. It was a really stupid thing to do.”
People at the boat ramp who were watching him had known Mr Duffield, who was also wearing a lifejacket, was “in trouble from the word go” after he set out at 11.30am, he said.
Mr Duffield was soon helpless against the six-knot current and his dinghy was flipped by the waves at the bar - prompting another rapid rescue by the coastguard.
“I reckon wearing a lifejacket saved my life,” he said.
“I lost my wallet, my car keys and my mobile phone - but I love the coastguard.”
Mr Ferguson said “Moko mania” meant there were more people than usual along the river, but record-high tides and recent rainfall had made the waterway particularly dangerous.
“There’s a lot of water coming down from the hills, giving a current of five to six knots at the moment, and there’s a big risk of being swept out to sea,” he said.
The danger was that people “in the heat of the moment” would make decisions that would put them in danger.
“It’s not Moko’s fault - he’s just playing and he’s more than able to combat six-knot currents.”