Three men were rescued after spending some six hours in the sea off Tolaga Bay on New Zealand’s eastern coast, clinging to a single lifejacket after their boat capsized without warning.
The men were thrown into the water on Tuesday morning when their 24-feet aluminium vessel became entangled in a craypot line shortly after leaving shore, local media said.
With little time to react, they were left relying on a single lifejacket, along with a bucket and a petrol can, to stay afloat.
At around 11am, a commercial fishing vessel spotted the capsized boat and contacted police, who in turn alerted the Coastguard’s National Operations Centre and called in Coastguard Gisborne.
The coastguard Gisborne immediately launched a rescue vessel staffed by three volunteers, Stuff reported.
A search operation commenced, involving police units, the military’s Poseidon P-8 surveillance plane, the Eastland Rescue helicopter, and Surf Life Saving’s Gisborne Search and Rescue team. They combed a large area for hours before spotting the men in the water in the afternoon.
“At 2.39pm, the P-8A Poseidon spotted three people in the water. Rescue Coordination Centre directed the rescue helicopter and Coastguard Gisborne vessel to the location,” Maritime New Zealand said in a statement.
It said that the three survivors were transported to Tolaga Bay, confirming they were the only people aboard the capsized vessel.
Coastguard volunteers recovered the trio and transported them back to shore, where ambulance crews were on standby to assess and treat them, authorities said. “One person was in moderate condition and was transferred to an ambulance,” Maritime New Zealand said.
All three were suffering from exhaustion and the early effects of hypothermia, it noted.
Coastguard Gisborne skipper Aaron Boyle said the incident unfolded extremely quickly.
“They didn’t have time to grab anything,” he said.
Mr Boyle said the men were fortunate to survive such prolonged exposure in the water.
“They are so lucky. Six hours in the water is a long time – especially with all three people holding onto one lifejacket.”
The group had departed at around 8.00am in what were described as calm sea conditions before the boat snagged on the craypot line and overturned almost immediately.
“Everyone is really elated they were found alive and well. It could have been a different story,” Mr Boyle said. “They were bordering on hypothermia and very fatigued.”
Rescue Coordination Centre watch leader Alex Taylor described the rescue effort as “a fantastic example of agencies and local operators working together to achieve the best possible outcome”.
“Everyone responded quickly and professionally, and that teamwork made all the difference,” he said.
