Skydiving plane searching over the water at Muriwai beach shortly after the incident. Video / Supplied
Grieving skydivers and local iwi will come together tomorrow at Muriwai Beach with rescuers who risked their lives to reach a British jumper who died after plummeting into the ocean.
Sarah-Jane Bayram died on Thursday when a nine-person formation "sunset" jump with Skydive Auckland went horribly wrong.
It is understood she collided with a fellow jumper and fell unresponsive into the water about 1km offshore. Incredibly, another skydiver is believed to have activated Bayram's parachute following the collision.
Two surfers saw Bayram plummeting off course and raced to reach her in a jetski, hauling her onto their craft and desperately performing CPR until volunteer surf lifeguards arrived and ferried Bayram back to shore, where she later died.
A whakawātea will be performed (whaka means to "cause", and wātea means to "empty") which is done to clear an area of any malignant force or spirit. This renders the area safe for daily activities to return to normal.
Waitematā Police Māori liaison officer Debra Brewer told the Herald members of the skydiving community were attending, along with the rescuers who raced to help Bayram, emergency responders, local iwi and Bayram's colleagues from the University of Auckland.
A skydiving plane circles close to Muriwai Beach after a woman collided with another skydiver in mid-air. Photo / Supplied
"We've opened it up to whoever was there because it can be a healing time in that process."
It would begin with a blessing at the Muriwai volunteer surf lifesaving club before moving to the beach, she said.
"I think some of the people, especially the skydivers, would want to go down there."
Brewer understood that Bayram's overseas-based family were aware of the ceremony and had asked for it to be filmed.
A police spokeswoman said police were involved in the 11am blessing. They were also in "close contact with the victim's family during this difficult time".
"Police are making inquiries on behalf of the coroner, however we are not in a position to detail these inquiries, as ultimately it will be for the coroner to comment around the circumstances of the matter."
Muriwai Beach's head lifeguard Glenn Gowthorpe was involved in Thursday's rescue attempt, and helped bring Bayram back to shore.
He said most of his team was attending tomorrow's blessing.
"For us it's a nice thing to do and in keeping with the tradition of local people. There have been a lot of deaths out there."
Sarah-Jane Bayram died on Thursday in a skydiving tragedy over Muriwai Beach in West Auckland. Photo / Supplied
The ceremony would be an opportunity for the rescuers to meet members of the skydiving community who were on the jump, or connected to Skydive Auckland, Gowthorpe said.
"Things are pretty raw in the first few days as people come to terms with it."
Gowthorpe had skydived over Muriwai during his time in the Defence Force and, like surf lifesaving, it involved stringent safety protocols, he said.
"I know how professional those people are. It's life and death. They trust each other. You check each other's gear. You look after each other."
Muriwai was one of the busiest surf lifesaving clubs in the country and his people had responded to two fatalities in the past eight days.
The club relied on people's generosity and had received several big donations since news of last week's tragedy.
A Civil Aviation Authority spokesman said investigators were working with Skydive Auckland and the New Zealand Parachute Industry Association (NZPIA) "to understand why this tragic accident occurred and what (if any) actions may be introduced to prevent a similar accident in the future".
A formal report would be released in due course.
A British High Commission spokesman said staff were supporting Bayram's family and in contact with New Zealand Police and the Coroner's office.
'Quirky and passionate'
Bayram was an experienced skydiver who had completed more than 200 jumps.
Good friend and fellow skydiver Lisa Chambers said Bayram helped set a New Zealand women's sequential skydiving record in June last year.
But she had been preparing to take part in another New Zealand women's skydiving record attempt next month - a 17-strong formation jump.
Chambers said the event would still proceed.
"It will be dedicated to SJ."
Bayram moved to New Zealand from the UK some years ago and had been ticking off items on an adventure "bucket list", which is how she got into skydiving, Chambers told the Herald.
Local surfers Dylan Wallis, left, and Steve Morpeth were the first to respond to a fatal skydiving accident over Muriwai on Thursday night. Photo / Michael Craig
"She was very quirky - piercings, tattoos and coloured hair. Always a huge smile. She had this great dry sense of humour. She was incredibly funny. She really loved skydiving and was a brilliant person inside and out."
Bayram's death had rocked the close-knit skydiving community, many of whom witnessed the event because they were either on the jump or on the beach in the drop zone.
Chambers described the tragedy as "absolutely devastating".
"Our sport is about fun and having an amazing time with your friends so when something like this happens it's distinctly different from what you expect.
"The community is hurting for sure. It's obviously heartbreaking and so tragic."
The New Zealand Parachute Federation has paid tribute to Bayram in a social media post.
"It is with heaviest of hearts that we lost our sky sister Sarah-Jane Bayram in a tragic accident on Thursday last week. Our thoughts and support go out to all her family and friends, of which there were many. SJ touched the hearts of so many skydivers and she will be incredibly missed."
