Queen's Birthday Honours: Courageous sea rescue

Lieutenant Simon Andrew Wasley.

Lieutenant Simon Andrew Wasley
NZ Distinguished Service Decoration, for services to the NZ Defence Force

An act of skill and courage has earned Lieutenant Simon Wasley a Queen's Birthday Honour.

The Navy officer dived into heavy seas at Cape Reinga to save three people from a sinking sailboat.

While patrolling north of Cape Reinga in July last year, the HMNZS Otago received a mayday call from a sailing boat with a broken rudder. The boat was in danger of sinking.

The ship responded to the call but was unable to launch inflatable boats because of the conditions.

Mr Wasley, Operations Officer on the ship and a former operational diver, dived into the water and was able to guide the sailboat's life raft, carrying the three crew members, to the HMNZS Otago.

Despite the rough conditions, he fitted each of the three crew members with a rescue recovery strop allowing them to be safely lifted out of the water.