Celebrating survival after disaster dive
away and I found I was sort of gaining ground,’’ Ham said.
After a couple of hours swimming, Ham spotted a boat.
‘‘I saw the boat go past and I could see the people on the back of the boat. I’m sure they were just having a cup of coffee.
‘‘They got about 100 to 200 metres in front of me and one of them spotted my safety sausag e... they came back to investigate and that’s when they came across me,’’ Ham said.
It was a feeling of absolute ‘‘elation’’, he said.
‘‘I was pretty excited because if that boat had gone there was nothing else around.’’
‘‘I got on the boat and they were all old-retired blokes coming over to the sounds to go fishing for the day. The first thing they gave me was a dried fruit cake and a cup of coffee,’’ he said. After spotting Sim, they picked him up and radioed Search and Rescue telling them the missing divers had been found.
They by-passed the TV crews and crowds waiting for them at Picton marina and travelled back to Blenheim; Ham in a police car and Sim with his family.
Sim said it was ‘‘quite emotional’’ reuniting with his family. ‘‘I just felt bad for having put them through all this,’’ he said.
When they got home, they were ‘‘hounded’’ by the media. The pair were flown to Wellington where they were appeared on TV3 and Paul Holmes’ show.
Despite their harrowing ordeal, Ham and Sim remained committed divers. Within two weeks, they were back in the water. A 43-year-old Marlborough man has been charged with a raft of offences including burglary, theft, cultivation of cannabis and unlawful possession of ammunition.
The arrest came after a search warrant in Renwick on Friday.
Detective sergeant Lindsay Tilbury said the man was being held in police custody and will appear in the Blenheim District Court today.
He was arrested in relation to burglaries in Renwick and Springlands during the past six weeks.
Police would like to thank the public for their help on this matter, Tilbury said.
‘‘It is also a timely reminder for people to check that their vehicles, garages and sheds are locked, particularly at night.’’