NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Auckland diver Michal Kováč critically injured after being dragged into SeaLink ferry propeller

Tom Dillane
By Tom Dillane
Reporter/Deputy Head of News·NZ Herald·
25 May, 2023 05:00 PM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

A person has been critically injured in a ferry incident at Half Moon Bay in Auckland. Video / Dean Purcell

The wife of a commercial diver who was critically injured this week says it’s a “miracle he survived” after he was dragged into the propeller of an Auckland ferry he was working beneath when crew turned on the engine.

Michal Kováč was performing maintenance work on a SeaLink ferry in Auckland’s Half Moon Bay Marina on Wednesday afternoon and had been taking photos of the hull of the ship with a GoPro camera.

Both WorkSafe and Maritime NZ are now making inquiries into the accident and there are questions about why the ship’s engines were engaged while a diver was still working on the ship.

Speaking from her husband’s bedside in Middlemore Hospital yesterday, Gillian Kováč told the Herald she understands the professional diver was climbing out of the water on a ladder when he was yanked back underwater by his safety umbilical cable.

“Obviously somebody started the engine and he got pulled under, I think his umbilical was wrapped around the propeller and he got pulled under when he was surfacing,” she said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

“He doesn’t remember much, but he just remembers a few seconds going under.”

It’s understood he suffered injuries either from the propeller or from a knock from the hull while underneath the ship.

Kováč, who is in his mid-30s and a Czech Republic native, suffered five broken ribs.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

“He’s got cuts and lacerations throughout the body, legs and face, ears a little bit cut too. He’s got a blue eye, he’s been knocked on the eye by something, seemingly it’s the propeller underneath the boat. But he’s recovering well. He’s in ICU at the moment. But last night, obviously he was in an induced coma,” she said yesterday.

Police on the Sealink ferry at the Half Moon Bay ferry terminal. Photo / Dean Purcell
Police on the Sealink ferry at the Half Moon Bay ferry terminal. Photo / Dean Purcell

Kováč has been a commercial diver for years in Auckland.

He was rushed to hospital in a critical condition after the incident, which was reported to police and emergency services at 2.40pm. Several police officers were seen investigating onboard a SeaLink car ferry following the accident.

Gillian said her husband believed he was “unconscious when he got pulled under”.

Once he was pulled beneath the surface, Kováč's fellow workers immediately yelled to turn off the engine and rushed into the water to retrieve him.

Commercial diver Michal Kovác was critically injured in a workplace incident at Half Moon Bay marina on Wednesday when he was sucked into the propellor of a Sealink ferry.
Commercial diver Michal Kovác was critically injured in a workplace incident at Half Moon Bay marina on Wednesday when he was sucked into the propellor of a Sealink ferry.

“The diver’s supervisor went straight in barely dressed, and pulled him out and the rest of them joined to get him out,” Gillian said.

“He was given CPR by one of the supervisors. Then he was taken to ED at Middlemore Hospital. They had to sort of fix him up.”

Gillian said her husband underwent surgery on Wednesday night.

Doctors had now reassured her Kováč would survive and recover, despite remaining in intensive care.

Police onboard a Sealink ferry at the Half Moon Bay ferry terminal. Photo / Dean Purcell
Police onboard a Sealink ferry at the Half Moon Bay ferry terminal. Photo / Dean Purcell

Yesterday afternoon, Gillian was sitting with Kováč, who was awake and speaking to her. He had undergone a CT scan earlier that day.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

“He’s awake now and just finding it very painful because he’s got the chest, he took in a bit of water that was [being] sucked out during the night. [He’s] finding it a little bit of a problem with the lungs,” Gillian said.

“He’s actually asking me what happened because he doesn’t remember other than coming up the ladder and passing a GoPro [camera] to someone, and then he just remembered being yanked a few seconds and that’s it.”

Gillian understands her husband will be able to be released from ICU in the next few days.

“Given the circumstance, all the doctors agree it’s a miracle he pulled through because most of the time you don’t, you know, survive something like this, but he’s doing better,” she said.

Several police were on the scene at the Half Moon Bay ferry terminal. Photo / Dean Purcell
Several police were on the scene at the Half Moon Bay ferry terminal. Photo / Dean Purcell

WorkSafe NZ told the Herald it has been notified and was making initial inquiries into the workplace incident. However, “this is not an investigation at this stage”.

Maritime NZ told the Herald it was investigating the incident and working with WorkSafe to understand the circumstances around how a diver was seriously injured.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

“Due to the circumstances of the incident, it could fall under the jurisdictions of either regulator depending on how it occurred,” a Maritime NZ spokesperson said.

“The agencies expect to have a better understanding about who will lead a potential investigation by the end of the week.”

SeaLink and Kováč's employer have both been contacted for comment.

“I’m just a little bit upset about the whole incident because these sorts of things shouldn’t be happening if a diver is still in the water … technically he wasn’t in the water but he hasn’t actually surfaced,” Gillian said.

“Obviously they weren’t aware that he was still sort of in the water and that his umbilical was still wrapped around the propeller.”

But given the risk to Kováč's life, Gillian was very relieved to have her husband - who she only married in January this year - awake and talking to her.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

“Right now he’s awake and he’s doing well. Things seem to be improving,” she said.

“But we’re still actually trying to get more information.”

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

Afternoon quiz: In which year did New Zealand's currency switch from pounds to dollars?

15 Jun 03:00 AM
New Zealand

'Absolutely ridiculous': Sacked blinds installer wins $12k after nine days of work

15 Jun 03:00 AM
New Zealand

Two dead after boat capsizes off Pātea coast

15 Jun 02:37 AM

It was just a stopover – 18 months later, they call it home

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Afternoon quiz: In which year did New Zealand's currency switch from pounds to dollars?

Afternoon quiz: In which year did New Zealand's currency switch from pounds to dollars?

15 Jun 03:00 AM

Test your knowledge with the Herald's afternoon quiz.

'Absolutely ridiculous': Sacked blinds installer wins $12k after nine days of work

'Absolutely ridiculous': Sacked blinds installer wins $12k after nine days of work

15 Jun 03:00 AM
Two dead after boat capsizes off Pātea coast

Two dead after boat capsizes off Pātea coast

15 Jun 02:37 AM
Two Tauranga house fires spark safety reminder

Two Tauranga house fires spark safety reminder

15 Jun 01:45 AM
The woman behind NZ’s first PAK’nSAVE
sponsored

The woman behind NZ’s first PAK’nSAVE

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP