Investigations begin into how fishing charter with bird watchers capsized in very calm seas
INVESTIGATORS will today start piecing together how a group of bird watchers ended up perishing in what’s been called a freak accident where a whale is believed to have upended a small fishing charter boat.
The people on board were a women’s group, members of Nature Photography Society of New Zealand, who had planned a three-hour bird-watching trip with Fish Kaiko¯ ura, a local business whose skipper had more than a decade’s experience.
The boat called mayday yesterday at 10am near Goose Bay, south of Kaiko¯ ura, sparking an hours-long search-and-rescue operation for survivors. Eleven were on board the 8-metre boat, including the skipper. Six were rescued, some nursing injuries.
Five died, their bodies understood to have been recovered from inside the cabin.
Investigators from Maritime New Zealand yesterday travelled from Christchurch to Kaiko¯ ura to begin their inquiry into the tragedy, following the recovery of the bodies and boat early evening.
Maritime NZ principal investigator Tracy Phillips said Maritime NZ would begin a ‘‘thorough’’ investigation under the Health and Safety at Work Act and the Maritime Transport Act, and would support police in their investigation.
Police yesterday were tightlipped into whether a whale was the cause of the capsizing, only describing the incident as a ‘‘collision’’. It’s understood initial
distress calls from the vessel had mentioned a whale. Large whales had been seen in the area recently, according to the mayor.
Kaiko¯ ura has a thriving whale-watch tourism industry.
Following the capsizing, horrified witnesses saw people on top of the boat, waving their
arms, while a substantial searchand-rescue operation that would last hours got under way. Witnesses watched as a rescue helicopter, Coastguard volunteers and divers were called in throughout the afternoon.
Pilot Daniel Stevenson was one of the first on the scene and said the Coastguard arrived very quickly. ‘‘We basically went down to have a look and make sure if there was anybody floating in the water, that we could keep an eye on them until they were able to get a boat alongside and be rescued.’’
At a media conference,
Kaiko¯ ura police Sergeant Matt Boyce described the incident as ‘‘unprecedented’’, leading to a ‘‘significant response of emergency services and members of the public, and
Kaiko¯ ura maritime community.’’
‘‘This has been a tragic event and the police are providing support to those involved at this very difficult time.’’
Kaiko¯ ura mayor Craig Mackle appeared distressed when he described the sea conditions as ‘‘really, really’’ good. Earlier in the day he had described a town on tenterhooks as the recovery mission was under way.
‘‘It’s not great. You’ve got this sick feeling.’’
The bodies were recovered and brought back to shore shortly before sunset, at South Bay, a few kilometres south of Kaiko¯ ura. By 4pm the boat, previously seen upside down in the water, was being towed to shore, while people gathered on the shore to watch.
The vessel appeared to be undamaged.
An onlooker said it seemed ‘‘like a freak accident’’. ‘‘Everyone’s very shocked.’’ A local fisherman said conditions yesterday morning were good and the sea was very calm.
Surviving members of the bird-watching group last night declined to comment, as did the owner and operators of Fish Kaiko¯ ura.
It’s the second significant fatal boating disaster of 2022. In March, five men died when fishing charter boat Enchanter capsized near North Cape after being struck by what was described then as a freak wave.
‘We basically went down to have a look and make sure if there was anybody floating in the water.’ DANIEL STEVENSON, ONE OF THE FIRST PEOPLE ON THE SCENE