Coastguard volunteers search all night for pair missing at sea in Bay of Islands

Saturday, 2 November 2019

The island where the two men were found.

Two young men had to climb a cliff face to reach safety after their boat sunk off the coast of the Bay of Islands.

The pair voyaged out to Moturua Island in their five-metre runabout boat on Friday, but their family contacted the coastguard at about 9pm to say there had been no contact.

Northland Coastguard volunteers helped search for two missing men near Moturua Island. (File photo)

Volunteers rallied together on land and sea to search the area, before standing down shortly after 4am on Saturday morning.

By first light the Coastguard Air Patrol took to the skies from Ardmore Airport to support the rescue crew which had continued their search.

* 'Critical 10-minute window' for snorkellers' rescue from rock face**

However, shortly before 10am the two men were spotted by a member of the public – safe but tired after a long night marooned.

'Credit goes to them for having communications equipment and telling their family where they were going and when they planned to be back, it's this and their lifejackets that have made all the difference to the outcome which otherwise could have been much worse,' said Nico Dooderman, duty officer at the Coastguard Operations Centre.

'The family was able to provide details on their last known location which dramatically reduces the search area for our assets and the time taken to locate the pair.'

The coastguard provided them with a medic, plus food and water once ashore. One of the men sustained moderate injuries and awaited the Northland Emergency Services Helicopter.

Meanwhile, volunteers on-board Howick Rescue One pulled two kayakers out of the water near Kawakawa Bay in east Auckland on Saturday morning.

The pair had fallen out of their kayaks and lost their paddles; one of kayakers had hypothermia when they were pulled from the water.

They were transferred to a waiting ambulance.

Dooderman said there had been 200 trips logged with the coastguard around the Bay of Islands on Saturday alone.

'Summer is here and it's great to see boaties heading out to enjoy the many waterways around the region. We're here to help Kiwis get the best out of their boating safely and with confidence.

'We can't stress enough the importance of downloading the Coastguard app to check your local marine weather before you head out, you can also log your trip report on the app so that someone knows where you're going and when you plan to be back.'

With a coastguard membership you have peace of mind every time you hit the water and get a $100 discount on our popular a day skipper course, he said.