Two paddlers owed their safety to a swift police response on Saturday after being discovered clinging to their kayak in open water roughly 5.7 kilometres off Stanmore Bay Beach. The pair had launched from Mahurangi with Manly Beach as their destination, but when they failed to arrive, another member of their group contacted maritime police to raise the alarm.
Conditions by that stage had deteriorated sharply. Seas were running rough and winds had built to between 15 and 20 knots, leaving the kayakers unable to climb back aboard their vessel. Police Coastal Master Senior Constable Trevor Proctor said his team responded without delay, using a mobile phone locate to pinpoint the missing paddlers while the Police Eagle helicopter was simultaneously directed to search the coastline between Mahurangi and Manly.
"The missing person wasn't answering texts or calls so we managed to locate the kayakers by polling their phone," Senior Constable Proctor said.
Both paddlers were in the water rather than aboard their kayak when found, though both were wearing lifejackets. Coastguard retrieved the pair and no injuries were reported.
Senior Constable Proctor welcomed the outcome and said the incident underlined the importance of wearing a lifejacket. He also urged people on the water to carry more than one form of communication rather than depending solely on a mobile phone.
"If you're relying on a mobile phone, store it in a waterproof bag or case," he said. "These simple precautions can make a critical difference in an emergency."
