Diver suffered bends

A 20-year-old Christchurch man diving in Okiwi Bay last night was flown to Christchurch Hospital by the Nelson Marlborough rescue helicopter after suffering decompression sickness, or the bends, St John team manager Gary Tobin said.

He said the man was flown to Christchurch in a moderate condition. It was one of a number of rescue missions by the helicopter that extended into the early hours of this morning.

The crew’s first trip to the Marlborough Sounds yesterday was to Nydia Bay about 2pm to a 51-yearold man who had caught his hand in a log splitter. His hand was trapped between the log and a base plate of the tool. He suffered a ‘‘moderate to serious’’ hand injury.

A 41-year-old Foxton woman fell while climbing at Paynes Ford, Golden Bay, yesterday afternoon and was flown to Nelson Hospital with lower-back injuries.

Mr Tobin said she fell about three metres into dense bush at the cliff base and was treated by a local St John Ambulance crew before she was winched to the rescue helicopter in a moderate condition.

A solo woman tramper suffered a suspected ruptured Achilles tendon while tramping the Wangapeka Track on the Karamea River and activated her beacon just before 5pm. She was picked up by helicopter at 6.45pm and taken to Nelson Hospital. She was one of eight trampers rescued in four separate incidents in two days, which highlighted the value of personal locater beacons.