Coastguard rescues man from water after mayday call from Whangārei’s Parua Bay

A boatie had to be rescued from Parua Bay on Wednesday morning after he fell overboard. Photo / NZME

Coastguard was in the right place at the right time yesterday morning when a mayday call came in about a person in the water.

Coastguard Whangārei had just finished preparing for the day when the service received a call through the radio channel.

An elderly man had fallen from his boat in Parua Bay, Whangārei Heads, having been catapulted into the water when starting the boat’s engine.

Skipper Trent Dixon accompanied by a trainee and qualified crew member dropped the lines and headed straight out from Marsden Cove.

A member of the public had called in the job, and Dixon said it was a blessing someone had spotted the man in the water.

Another blessing was that the Customs vessel Hawke 5 was also nearby and was ahead of the Coastguard vessel.

Hawke 5 managed to get to the man first, who was pulled from the water in a cold state.

Dixon did not know how long the man had been in the water for.

“He was very, very lucky.”

Coastguard then joined Hawke 5, bringing blankets to keep the man warm.

Once his body temperature was stabilised, they transferred the patient into the Coastguard vessel.

Dixon made a call to Hato Hone St John requesting an ambulance. He was particularly concerned about an injury to the man’s head.

Once they took the Coastguard vessel to shore, they delivered him to Hato Hone St John paramedics, who transported him to Whangārei Hospital.

Coastguard were able to retrieve the man’s boat, organise for its safe return to his home and head back to base.

Dixon was grateful to those who had called in the job.

He encouraged people to contact Coastguard if they saw something odd on the water.

He would rather turn up and it be nothing than potentially be responding to a much more serious situation later, he said.

Brodie Stone covers crime and emergency for the Northern Advocate. She has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.