Body of man recovered from Northland harbour

Coastguard Whangaruru volunteers performed CPR on a boatie but he could not be revived. Photo / Supplied

A body recovered by Coastguard volunteers at Whangaruru Harbour was that of a man, believed to be from outside Northland.

Two others — a male and a female— were initially treated for hypothermia and transported to Whangārei Hospital after a small boat the trio were in capsized in rough conditions on Thursday morning.

They were not wearing lifejackets, prompting calls by Coastguard for those venturing out to sea to always wear them no matter what the sea conditions are.

The death has been referred to the Coroner.

A male and female in the boat managed to swim ashore and raise the alarm. Whangaruru Coastguard and police from Kaikohe and Russell responded about 10.40am on Thursday and the man’s body was found a short time later on shore.

Tony Coyle, skipper of the Whangaruru Coastguard vessel that day, said a local man contacted Coastguard volunteers who sprung into action.

He said volunteers supported the survivors by keeping them warm and hydrated while another crew set out to look for the missing man.

“He was found on shore. We gave him CRP until it was clear he was not coming back. A helicopter flew in two medics and we waited for an ambulance that transported them (survivors) to Whangārei Hospital.

“Sea conditions were very rough, 40 knots with a combination of tide, wind and current and the swells really picked up, even in the afternoon,” he said.

Coyle said none of the three on the boat, believed to be a dinghy, had lifejackets on them.

“A lot of our communities are living in and around the harbour and they can only get to bachs and residences by sea so having those lifejackets on board is important,” he said.

This year, 14 people have drowned in Northland. In 2021, 10 drowned in the region, the third-highest drowning rate per capita in the country.

Just two weeks ago, teams from Maritime New Zealand, Northland regional harbourmaster and Drowning Prevention Auckland conducted a safer boating campaign at at the Mangawhai Heads’ boat ramp that included the importance of wearing lifejackets.

The Northland harbourmaster’s display trailer and safer boating information were on site along with give aways including cellphone bags, boat stickers, radio and safety booklets, and dry bags.