Wearing a life jacket almost certainly made the difference between life and death for one man after he spent more than two hours adrift in the cold waters of Waitematā Harbour in the early hours of Anzac Day.
The sequence of events began when two men fell from their kayaks while paddling out to a moored boat. One managed to clamber aboard the vessel, but getting help proved slow. By the time police received the call at 3.40am on Saturday, both men had already been in the water for two hours, and the second had been swept away on the outgoing tide.
The Police Eagle helicopter crew launched without delay, sweeping the areas around boat clubs and moored vessels before pushing the search further out into the harbour. Along the way they found two empty kayaks, and eventually the man himself, being carried out to sea roughly a kilometre from shore.
Senior Sergeant Garry Larsen QSM of the Marine Rescue Centre described what the crew encountered when they located him.
"It wasn't clear if the man was even alive, he wasn't moving and his body heat was minimal," he said. "But thankfully, there were small signs of life when they put the spotlight on him and called out over the PA."
With Eagle keeping eyes on the casualty, the Auckland Maritime Unit moved in to carry out the retrieval. Sergeant Craig Kennedy helped pull him 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. When we got to him he could barely move or talk. He was seriously hypothermic and maybe a kilometre from where he fell in."
Advanced paramedics were on standby at Te Atatu Boat Club when he was brought ashore. His companion, cold but safely out of the water, was recovered separately. Both men were taken to hospital.
Larsen paid tribute to all those who responded. "Everybody kicked into action to save this guy's life," he said. "Everyone involved should be proud."
