Saturday beach rescue prompts reminder about vital safety measures

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

A man and his daughter were rescued by members of the surf life saving emergency callout squad on Saturday afternoon when they got blown offshore at the Waipaoa river mouth.

The pair were out on inflatable kayaks when they were caught by the strong wind and initially blown about 300 metres off the beach.

“Police were called and they in turn mobilised the Character Roofing surf life saving Emergency Callout Squad,” said squad spokeswoman Belinda Slement.

An IRB was launched from the Kaiaponi Farms Waikanae surf club.

“As it turned out one of our squad members was out fishing on his boat off Young Nick's Head when he received the callout message.

“He headed towards the river mouth and located the father, aged 38, and his daughter aged 13, who were by that stage about 800 metres offshore,” Mrs Slement said.

“He picked them up and took down towards Waikanae where they were met by the IRB, transferred to it, and taken ashore to a waiting St John ambulance team.

“The father was exhausted and cold. His daughter was not so bad.

“They were checked over by the ambulance crew and were both able to go home OK.”

Mrs Slement said while the outcome was a good result, the incident provides a few important messages as we head towards summer.

“If you're going out on the water in any sort of craft, check the weather conditions and forecast.

“Neither of the people involved in Saturday's incident were wearing lifejackets.

“Make sure you've got the right equipment to go out on to the ocean, and know your limits.”