Be wary of Manukau dangers, warn boaties

Boaties say the accident that took the life of a fisherman could be a result of unfamiliarity with the dangerous waters of the Manukau Harbour.

"The trouble with those who [take a] boat to fish is they follow the tide, rather than stick to an area and familiarise themselves with the waters," said Rob Stewart, who owns a 5m aluminium runabout similar to the one that capsized early on Saturday.

Boaties in the area who spoke to the Herald said they had not seen the boat that capsized before, and the four fishermen on board could have been unfamiliar with the waters.

"Manukau's waters almost always look calm on the surface, but when you're out there, often it can feel like you're being hit by a tidal wave from a tsunami," Mr Stewart said.

In March 2005, a man drowned and two others were injured in the same area when their boat was swamped.

The region is also where the worst shipwreck in New Zealand's history happened in 1863, when 189 lives were lost with the sinking of HMS Orpheus.

On Saturday, a fisherman, aged about 50, drowned and three others spent almost eight hours clinging to their craft in the mouth of the harbour in uncomfortable water.

Their boat ran into difficulty as they were heading out in rough conditions, and capsized as they tried to turn around.

It is believed a wave swept the victim and another fisherman into the cabin of the boat after it tipped over.

Only one managed to get out.

The other two fishermen fell into the water.

The three survivors hung onto the hull of the overturned boat for almost eight hours, and were lucky to be spotted by someone on shore, who alerted the coastguard.

Two boats and an aircraft were used in the search.

The three men were rescued shortly before 4pm and taken to Whatipu, where they were airlifted by the Westpac helicopter to Waitakere Hospital.

Two of them needed treatment for exhaustion and hypothermia.

It was not known whether they were wearing lifejackets.

Yesterday, boaties were warned to make sure they have a way of raising the alarm if they run into trouble.

Coastguard search and rescue controller John Cowan said the boat that capsized did not have waterproof communications equipment and the victim and his companions had not told the coastguard of their plans.

Boaties should always carry a waterproof VHF radio or a cellphone in case they ran into trouble.