Source: New Zealand Police
Police have saved a man from near-death after he fell out of a kayak and spent more than two hours in the waters of Waitematā Harbour.
At 3.40am today, a call came in saying two men had fallen from their kayaks while on the way to a moored boat. One managed to reach the boat and eventually raise the alarm, but the other got caught in the currents of the outgoing tide.
Concerningly, the men had fallen into the water two hours earlier, but there was very little additional information, says Senior Sergeant Garry Larsen QSM of the Marine Rescue Centre.
“The Police Eagle helicopter crew heard the job come in and headed straight to the harbour to search around the boat club and boats moored in the channel, but with no luck.
“They started searching further into the harbour and located two empty kayaks and one person being swept out by the tide, about a kilometre from the coast.
“It wasn’t clear if the man was even alive, he wasn’t moving and his body heat was minimal but, thankfully, there were small signs of life when they put the spotlight on him and called out over the PA.”
Eagle kept watch of the man and guided the Auckland Maritime Unit to his location.
Sergeant Craig Kennedy of the Maritime Unit was one of those who helped to pull the man from the water at 4.40am.
“He’s a very lucky guy, it was a cold night – about 6 degrees – and he was in the water for a very long time. His life jacket is what kept him afloat and he’s here today because of that, and because he was found pretty quickly after the call came in.
“When we got to him and pulled him on the boat he could barely move or talk. He was seriously hypothermic and maybe a kilometre from where he fell in.
“When you’re responding to those circumstances, it’s not often that you get a positive outcome like this.”
The man was taken to the Te Atatu Boat club where advanced paramedics were waiting. His friend, cold but out of the water, was then picked up and brought to shore.
The men were taken to hospital in a serious and moderate condition.
Senior Sergeant Larsen said everyone involved played a part in bring the man home alive.
“Everybody kicked into action to save this guy’s life, and we even had the Northland Rescue Helicopter on the way in case we needed to widen the search. Everyone involved should be proud.”
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre