Crew saved in ‘textbook’ rescue

Two Dunedin fishermen pulled from dangerous seas as their trawler foundered against the rocks at Taiaroa Head yesterday had done everything right, a rescuer says.

Dunedin Marine Search and Rescue rescue swimmer Nick Harwood said there had been an "amazing community response" when Tamahine ran aground below the Royal Albatross Centre on Otago Peninsula about 6.45am.

The coastguard and nearby fishing vessels were on the scene when the Otago Southland Rescue Helicopter team arrived.

The 14m fishing vessel had run aground and was rocking in the swell below the cliffs from where others were helping to co-ordinate the rescue, Mr Harwood said.

The two fishers had the appropriate safety equipment, they were wearing lifejackets and had not put themselves in any further danger with the rescue effort under way, he said.

"When we arrived there was one on the boat, one on the rocks.

"The younger guy on the rocks was indicating to the gentleman on the boat, who was in a worse position than him."

The first rescue swimmer, Ben Davidson, was winched down and he went to help the boat’s skipper, who was aboard the vessel.

Mr Harwood was winched down next and went straight to the man on the rocks.

He made sure the man was all right, and confirmed there were only two people aboard the boat when it got into trouble.

He fitted the man with a harness, told him to stay put and went back into the water to assist Mr Davidson with the skipper.

Because of the movement of the boat, and to avoid the winch cable getting caught in its rigging, the skipper was moved off the vessel and he and Mr Davidson were winched out of the water.

Mr Harwood then swam back to the man stranded on the rocks and moved him to a spot from where he could be lifted to safety.

The rescue had been "just about textbook", he said.

"They were very cold, but other than that they were in pretty good condition, I’d imagine, for what they’d been through," Mr Harwood said.

A police spokesman said emergency services were alerted to the incident about 7.30am.

The skipper was taken to Dunedin Hospital in a moderate condition, and the other man was assessed and treated at the scene, a St John spokesman said.

A family member said on social media his father and the crew member were safe, but the loss of the boat had been hard to take.

"Watching the boat get smashed to pieces and the look in Dad’s eyes for two hours wasn't pleasant; couldn't do much in that size surf," he said.

Otago Regional Council harbourmaster Steve Rushbrook said it was too dangerous to get on board, and other vessels could not get to the grounded boat to tow it. The vessel had been broken up by wave action, and the council would monitor the area, he said.

Mr Rushbrook and council staff had been on the water all afternoon, and had collected floating debris and fuel drums from the seaward side of Taiaroa Head and also outside the harbour entrance.

The debris was not posing a navigational hazard.

However, people were asked to contact the harbourmaster if they saw debris or pollution within the harbour, he said.

Dunedin Coastguard incident management officer Lox Kellas said the Tamahine belonged to a family that had been in the fishing industry for about five generations.

When he arrived at Taiaroa Head yesterday morning he saw the crew member on land and the skipper trying to save his vessel.

"The waves washed over him on two or three occasions and it was quite concerning for him."

An online register lists the owner of the vessel as Teone Taiaroa.

He could not be reached for comment yesterday.

- Additional reporting Mark John

hamish.maclean@odt.co.nz