Wife’s alarm saves divers

Three Gisborne divers have a worried wife and a quick Coastguard response to thank after they were rescued from what could have been a tragedy.

The men, whose boat had run out of fuel, were found at 2.15pm on Friday, about eight nautical miles offshore from Young Nicks Head by Gisborne Coastguard volunteers.

The divers had left Gisborne at 5.30am in their 4.8m boat to collect seafood for a relative's tangi. They were expected back between 9am and 10am.

"Things were fine when we went out but it got worse. The sea was grumpy," said John Paul.

About 11am, the wife of one of the men went to police worried that they had not returned, and the Coastguard was alerted.

Coastguard president Baz Kirk said: "A couple more hours and we could have been looking for three bodies, not three people.

"It was a 35-knot gale forecast. In a 16-foot boat in those conditions you're asking for trouble."

Mr Kirk sounded a warning to boaties. "Always check the marine forecast and make sure you have got enough fuel and safety equipment.

"Make sure you tell someone where you are going, which is probably what saved them in this case."

- NZPA