Rescue recognised
09.01.2007
By Mike Dinsdale
When two divers were reported missing off Ruakaka Beach last October, lifeguards at the Ruakaka Surf Lifesaving Patrol immediately swung into action to rescue them.
It was the patrol's first rescue of the summer season and it has now earned them the Surf Life Saving New Zealand Rescue of the Month award for a co-ordinated effort that also involved the police and, to a lesser extent, the coastguard.
The patrol was initially given the Surf Life Saving Northern Region Rescue of the Month award for the event, which then went into the national competition, where the rescue was judged the best.
Ruakaka SLSP president Nigel Taylor said the national award was recognition of the hard work and dedication put in by the volunteer lifeguards.
The drama unfolded in mid-morning on October 23 when the patrol at Ruakaka overheard a radio call for assistance from a runabout located off the beach. Two recreational scuba divers from the boat had not been seen since they began their dive almost two hours earlier.
Patrol captain Leon Batten radioed through to Maritime radio informing them that Ruakaka lifeguards were available to assist with a search. The boat was spotted by lifeguards in the patrol tower and other members of the patrol took an inflatable rescue boat (IRB) out to talk to the skipper.
The patrol launched another two IRBs to begin a grid search for the pair, as well as a quad bike and truck to check the shore in case the divers had already made it to land.
As the search continued and nothing was found, Mr Batten called in the Northland Electricity rescue helicopter for an aerial search as well as additional IRB support from Waipu Cove and Whangarei Heads.
After nearly two hours of searching in the choppy conditions, the divers were finally found and brought to shore by IRB.
Mr Taylor said the rescue thankfully had a happy outcome and the award will give the patrol members confidence that all their training was at a level required for such rescues.
It is believed to be the first time the patrol has won the national award.
Surf Life Saving New Zealand chief executive Geoff Barry commended the Ruakaka patrol on their efforts.
"Without the excellent team work of the patrol on the day, the end result would have been a lot less positive.
"The professional and systematic manner in which the lifeguards went about the search was exceptional," Mr Barry said.
Kudos to this group for a job well done. As a professional rescuer, it is ALWAYS easier to have a successful rescue when an alarm is raised early on. It is also helpful when a "last seen point" is established. As soon as a diver is suspected as being lost, it is prudent to make note of the position by either taking LORAN TDs or GPS coordinates and/or securing a buoy/float/life jacket to an anchor line and marking the site. The buoy will act as a reference point for the boat operator as he begins the preliminary search and will also serve as a reference for rescuers should their services be needed.
If a boat operator is planning to make a dive and leave a less experienced group onboard the vessel, it may be prudent for the skipper/diver to write the GPS coordinates on a note pad and instruct persons what to do if the diver does not return by a specified period of time.
Several years ago I responded to an incident similar to the one described in the above news article. The inexperienced boat operator had driven around the ocean for several hours before calling for help. By the time we arrived on scene, the operator had become totally confused and could not guess with any accuarcy where the diver had gone missing. Multiple aircraft and nearly a dozen vessels searched for the missing diver in 3' (1 meter) seas. The diver was located nearly 20 hours after authorities were notified. Had the alarm been raised earlier or the "last seen point" identified the diver would have been recovered much earlier.
Safe diving...
Blades Robinson, Director
Dive Rescue International
www.DiveRescueIntl.com
09.01.2007
By Mike Dinsdale
When two divers were reported missing off Ruakaka Beach last October, lifeguards at the Ruakaka Surf Lifesaving Patrol immediately swung into action to rescue them.
It was the patrol's first rescue of the summer season and it has now earned them the Surf Life Saving New Zealand Rescue of the Month award for a co-ordinated effort that also involved the police and, to a lesser extent, the coastguard.
The patrol was initially given the Surf Life Saving Northern Region Rescue of the Month award for the event, which then went into the national competition, where the rescue was judged the best.
Ruakaka SLSP president Nigel Taylor said the national award was recognition of the hard work and dedication put in by the volunteer lifeguards.
The drama unfolded in mid-morning on October 23 when the patrol at Ruakaka overheard a radio call for assistance from a runabout located off the beach. Two recreational scuba divers from the boat had not been seen since they began their dive almost two hours earlier.
Patrol captain Leon Batten radioed through to Maritime radio informing them that Ruakaka lifeguards were available to assist with a search. The boat was spotted by lifeguards in the patrol tower and other members of the patrol took an inflatable rescue boat (IRB) out to talk to the skipper.
The patrol launched another two IRBs to begin a grid search for the pair, as well as a quad bike and truck to check the shore in case the divers had already made it to land.
As the search continued and nothing was found, Mr Batten called in the Northland Electricity rescue helicopter for an aerial search as well as additional IRB support from Waipu Cove and Whangarei Heads.
After nearly two hours of searching in the choppy conditions, the divers were finally found and brought to shore by IRB.
Mr Taylor said the rescue thankfully had a happy outcome and the award will give the patrol members confidence that all their training was at a level required for such rescues.
It is believed to be the first time the patrol has won the national award.
Surf Life Saving New Zealand chief executive Geoff Barry commended the Ruakaka patrol on their efforts.
"Without the excellent team work of the patrol on the day, the end result would have been a lot less positive.
"The professional and systematic manner in which the lifeguards went about the search was exceptional," Mr Barry said.
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Kudos to this group for a job well done. As a professional rescuer, it is ALWAYS easier to have a successful rescue when an alarm is raised early on. It is also helpful when a "last seen point" is established. As soon as a diver is suspected as being lost, it is prudent to make note of the position by either taking LORAN TDs or GPS coordinates and/or securing a buoy/float/life jacket to an anchor line and marking the site. The buoy will act as a reference point for the boat operator as he begins the preliminary search and will also serve as a reference for rescuers should their services be needed.
If a boat operator is planning to make a dive and leave a less experienced group onboard the vessel, it may be prudent for the skipper/diver to write the GPS coordinates on a note pad and instruct persons what to do if the diver does not return by a specified period of time.
Several years ago I responded to an incident similar to the one described in the above news article. The inexperienced boat operator had driven around the ocean for several hours before calling for help. By the time we arrived on scene, the operator had become totally confused and could not guess with any accuarcy where the diver had gone missing. Multiple aircraft and nearly a dozen vessels searched for the missing diver in 3' (1 meter) seas. The diver was located nearly 20 hours after authorities were notified. Had the alarm been raised earlier or the "last seen point" identified the diver would have been recovered much earlier.
Safe diving...
Blades Robinson, Director
Dive Rescue International
www.DiveRescueIntl.com
