Freak wave brings home safety message

Alan Morton-Jones and his four sons were all wearing lifejackets when their boat suddenly capsized. Photo / Martin Sykes

One moment, Whangaparaoa real estate agent Alan Morton-Jones and his four sons were enjoying their last day of fishing before colder winter weather sets in.

Then a "freak wave" hit their 3.6m aluminium boat, capsizing it and throwing the group overboard, leaving the youngest boy, Daniel, 8, trapped underneath, off the Whangaparaoa Peninsula about 2pm yesterday.

Police are praising the group for wearing lifejackets - a fact they say may have prevented further devastation on an already tragic weekend on which two men drowned in separate accidents near Maraetai in Manukau City and near Whangarei.

The Morton-Jones boys - four of the family's seven children - said they were travelling at 5 knots with two fishing lines out trawling for kahawai in relatively calm conditions when the swell hit them suddenly.

"The wave just changed in an instant and rolled us over," said Mr Morton-Jones, 42, still shocked by how quickly it occurred.

The boys said they sometimes complained about their Dad making them wear lifejackets.

"I'll never complain about wearing a lifejacket again - ever," said Michael, 13.

Added Daniel: "You've got to be a complete idiot if you're not wearing a lifejacket."

Daniel was trapped under the boat for about a minute. Because the craft is small and had an in-built flotation device to stop it sinking, he was able to be pulled out quickly.

The other boys - Michael, Christopher, 12, and Timothy, 10 - were able to hang on to the side of the boat before being picked up by nearby boaties.

Mr Morton-Jones and his sons said they were extremely grateful to the boaties and to the police maritime unit who came to their aid.

The boys said they remained calm during the rescue but the shock of what could have happened set in later.

The boys lost their fishing rods but were grateful to have one another.

The boat, which was righted by the police launch Deodar II and towed to safety, is also fine but will need its engine cleaned.

Mr Morton-Jones said they had not caught any fish before the accident. "So it's nachos for tea tonight," he joked.

Senior Constable Craig Hughes of the police maritime unit praised the family for wearing lifejackets and the other boaties for coming to their aid.

WEEKEND SEA TRAGEDIES

* Norman Thomas Dalebrook, 51, drowned after slipping and hitting his head while trying to free his 10.5m trimaran Skyliner after it ran aground off Taranga Island, near Whangarei, during an outing with his 16-year-old son David early on Saturday.

* Halatoaonga Mafi, a 32-year-old father of five from Mt Roskill, died after the dinghy he was on capsized at Omana Bay, near Maraetai in Manukau City, about 1.15am on Saturday. His brother-in-law Paula Kilisimasi, 26, was treated for hypothermia after swimming to raise the alarm. Mr Mafi's body was found 50m from the submerged boat after an extensive search of more than three hours by Land Search and Rescue teams and the Westpac rescue helicopter. Police suspect alcohol was a factor in the accident and the men were unprepared and without lifejackets.