A man in his 40s was winched to safety off a boat 12 nautical miles off the Bay of Islands after suffering a medical incident. Video / Supplied
A fisherman has been plucked from a boat off the Bay of Islands and flown to Auckland City Hospital in a critical condition.
A spokesperson for the Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopter said they winched the man, in his 40s, from the boat after he suffered a medical complaint 12 nauticalmiles off the Bay of Islands yesterday morning.
In a video seen by the Herald, the helicopter hovered above the stern of the fishing boat before lowering a wire down to the rescuer on the vessel.
The rescuer then attached the wire to the man before he was winched into the helicopter.
A man in his 40s was rescued by Auckland Rescue Helicopter from a fishing 12 nautical miles off the Bay of Islands. Photo / Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust
Critical care paramedic Will Thompson told the Herald time was of the essence to rescue the man.
“He needed to get to hospital relatively quickly,” he said.
“Waiting for him to get into shore and then getting in an ambulance and then transferring to a helicopter on land would have been too long.”
