Three water rescues lucky result
Boaties and jet skiers ill-prepared without communication or enough lifejackets
AKatikati couple is calling for the introduction of competency tests for water craft users after rescuing two boaties and four people on a jet ski who were out on the water without lifejackets in choppy conditions.
Jeff Bradey and his wife, Delwyn, made two rescues within 30 minutes of each other at Pilot Bay and described those in trouble as illprepared.
A Bay of Plenty Regional Council spokeswoman said unfortunately these were not isolated incidents and reinforced the need to take the risks of being out on the water seriously.
In a separate incident, Nelson police say a yachtie was lucky to survive after his catamaran capsized and the sailor was stranded for five hours. The yachtsman had no safety equipment on board apart from a lifejacket.
“He had no way of communicating whatsoever, no radio, cellphone, distress flares, a personal locator beacon or a light,” said Sergeant Malcolm York of Nelson Police Search and Rescue.
York said the yachtsman was incredibly lucky.
In the Tauranga dramas, Bradey said the first rescue at 7pm on Sunday involved four people on a large jet ski getting stranded offshore after being unable to start the motor.
The two adults and two children were clinging to the jet ski and, at one stage, one child was handed over to a kayaker out fishing, he said.
There were two men and two children aged about 5 and 7, but only one man and one child were wearing lifejackets, Bradey said.
He said the jet ski was clearly overloaded and was shocked the adults went out on the water in “choppy” conditions without lifejackets for everyone.
“Any one of them could have been swept away. If the tide had been going out the other way, we could easily be talking about at least one death.”
Bradey said the second rescue, about 30 minutes later, involved a couple in their 20s on board a 4m fibreglass boat who got into difficulties while fishing in the same area.
They were stranded about 1km out in the channel, he said.
Bradey said he and his wife motored out in their 5m boat and towed the other vessel back to shore.
The conditions were still “quite choppy” with about half metre high waves, Bradey said.
The stranded couple, who were visiting from Australia, were having steering problems, he said.
“They had no lifejackets and no oars to paddle their way back to shore and it wouldn’t have taken much for the boat to have tipped over.”
Bradey said this couple could also count themselves lucky someone was nearby to rescue them.
“We have seen this happen many times before, and I can’t understand why people haven’t got the message wearing a lifejacket is essential.”
The Bradeys believed a competency test would ensure people were using water crafts safely.
Grant Nicholson, owner of Action Sport Direct and member of the Tauranga Jet Ski Sport Association, said these two incidents were clearly a “recipe for disaster”.
Nicholson said it would be silly for jet skiers and boaties not to wear lifejackets.
“It’s the equivalent to wearing a seatbelt. But, no matter what type of craft, anyone going out onto the water should wear a lifejacket as a safety precaution,” he said.
Nicholson supported the call for a user competence test but he said there needed to be a level playing field when it came to any type of water craft.
A regional council spokeswoman said a user competency test was something the council would support but it would need to be introduced by Maritime New Zealand.