A navy diver who helped bring up a body from the deep-sea debris of Kathy and Eric Hertz's plane has been admitted to hospital with decompression sickness.
The couple's plane, a twin-engined Beechcraft Baron, ditched off Kawhia eight days ago, after reporting engine trouble.
Waikato district police operations manager Inspector John Kelly would not say if the body, recovered at noon yesterday, was of Hertz or his wife. The wreckage is on the ocean floor off Gannet Island at a depth of 56m.
A 23-year-old diver was flown by rescue helicopter to Auckland City Hospital, initially in a serious condition. His condition was stabilised inflight.
Norm Ngatai, head of ambulance communications, said: "It is thought there were problems with his breathing equipment. I cannot confirm if ... he was conscious on arrival at the surface."
