Hastings diver caught in dumped fishing line near Whirinaki wants to thank quick‑acting rescuers

Hastings man James Campbell had run out of energy by the time he freed himself from his predicament.

A Hastings man wants to thank his heroes after he nearly died when he became tangled in abandoned fishing line while diving at a Hawke’s Bay beach.

James Campbell was in the water in search of mussels with a friend on Saturday, near where the Pakuratahi Stream meets the sea at Whirinaki, between 2.40pm and 4pm.

He said he was swimming out to a reef when thick blue nylon fishing line wrapped around his legs and dive belt.

With his friend 30 to 40 metres away, he knew he had to untangle himself quickly.

“I couldn’t move, so I swam under and untangled myself.

“I had to get it off and get back to land because I was running out of energy.”

Campbell said he was tangled for two to three minutes, and it took around a minute underwater to untangle himself before he swam for the shoreline.

It was what happened next that left him wanting to thank those who sprang into action.

As he reached the shoreline, exhausted, he lost consciousness.

He was pulled from the wave break as his head and body bobbed in the water and scraped through rocks.

“I collapsed in the wave break, and that’s when I got the help from the people around on the beach.”

Campbell said he was extremely tired and unable to move, and remembered the Hawke’s Bay Rescue Helicopter arriving to transport him to Hawke’s Bay Hospital.

“I was unresponsive for a bit, they said.”

Campbell said he had been diving for about 20 years, and was a capable swimmer and good at holding his breath underwater.

“I’d say if I wasn’t confident, I would have drowned because I would have panicked and not untangled myself.”

He said it was the first time since diving in the area that he had come across fishing line of that kind, as the water was typically free of rubbish.

Now with orders to rest because of “bubbles in my lungs”, Campbell wanted to extend a big thanks to the Tangoio locals who helped rescue him from the water, as well as the medics who had treated him.

“I’m thankful because I could have been gone or passed out in the wave break and left there.”

Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings newsroom. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and loves sharing stories about farming and rural communities.