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Investigation into boating tragedy holds lessons for others
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4 April 2005
The need for boaties to tell someone where they are going and what time they will return has been highlighted by investigation findings into the tragic deaths of two men off the coast of Napier on 14 October last year.
The Maritime Safety Authority investigation found the accident happened when the fishing boat Big Johnson was hit by a wave after the boat’s engine had stopped. The wave knocked the four men onboard off their feet, and flooded the boat. Once unstable, the boat capsized before the men had time to call for help. |
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Unfortunately, the alarm to search for the men was not raised until the next morning, more than 13 hours after the accident happened. Two men were found alive; the other two had passed away before rescuers reached them.
MSA Manager of Recreational Boating, Jim Lott, says this accident is an absolute tragedy, and others can learn from it.
“If a family member or friend doesn’t know what time they should expect you back, they won’t know if you’re in trouble. There is a very high possibility these two men’s lives could have been saved if the alarm has been raised earlier.
“This accident is also yet another reminder of the importance of having some means of communicating with people on your body at all times. This can be as simple as carrying in your pocket a handheld waterproof VHF radio or a cellphone in a waterproof plastic bag. Red hand-flares are also an excellent method of signaling distress,” he said.
“Lifejackets and wetsuits do give you buoyancy and thermal protection and in this case saved two lives. Lifejackets certainly extended the time these men survived in the water, but not long enough for rescuers to find them all. The rescuers just didn’t know they needed help until too late,” said Mr Lott.
Further information
The men had been diving for mussels at Pania Reef, and had planned to be back in Napier in the late afternoon.
Only one crewmember was wearing a life jacket when the 4.75 metre-long boat capsized. Fortunately, before the boat capsized, the skipper, who was wearing a wetsuit, was able to pass a lifejacket and buoyancy device to the others.
As night approached, the men decided to try to swim for shore together. By 10.30pm they had made little progress, so the two strongest swimmers decided to try to make it ashore and raise the alarm. In the early hours of the morning one of the men who stayed behind passed away, and so the other passenger attempted again to swim to shore.
At 6.45am, the Police were informed the men had not returned home. The Coastguard and other vessels began searching the area. At about 8am the skipper passed away.
At 10.10am a vessel rescued one man, and the other was rescued at 10.40am. The bodies of the third passenger and skipper were recovered soon after.
For further information contact:
RCCNZ Media Line
Phone 04 499 7318
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