A busy Friday afternoon on the Kaikōura coast saw Coastguard Kaikōura volunteers managing three separate incidents as wind and swell built faster than expected. By the time conditions settled, nine kayakers had been brought to safety aboard the rescue vessel and roughly 20 people in total had been accounted for.
The first distress calls arrived shortly before 3pm, with three separate groups caught out near the coastline as the weather turned. Among them were two paddleboarders struggling with the deteriorating conditions. A member of the public stepped in to assist one, who was returned to safety without further incident. The second paddleboarder caused greater concern after being reported missing, but was later found ashore, having been blown onto rocks and managing to climb clear.
Coastguard volunteers then turned their attention to two groups of kayakers in difficulty. The first group of nine had been forced to beach at Whalers Bay. Volunteers confirmed all nine were out of the water and safe.
The second group of nine kayakers found themselves pinned inside Shark's Tooth, with conditions making forward progress impossible. Coastguard Kaikōura launched their rescue vessel, took all nine on board, and brought them safely back to South Bay.
Coastguard Kaikōura skipper Alasdair Lean said the response demonstrated the value of training and preparation.
“Our volunteers managed multiple events at once and coordinated assistance across all three groups. Everyone returned to shore safely.”
Lean also noted that those involved were wearing lifejackets and carrying appropriate communication equipment, which helped the response.
All parties were accounted for by the end of the afternoon.
