Hypothermia cited in boating tragedy

Two of the three men who died when their boat sank off the Oamaru coast on May 11 probably succumbed to hypothermia before drowning, coroner Trevor Savage said in an interim decision yesterday.

The inquest into the deaths of Richard Graham Wallis, of Timaru, Keith Allan Wallis, of Mosgiel, and Tainui Pompey Kani, of Timaru, ended yesterday morning in Oamaru after hearing evidence for 2 1/2 days.

The three men died after the fishing boat Time Out sank off Kakanui Point. Delays in the rescue operation prompted criticisms at the inquest.

Mr Savage said he was making the interim decision to provide some finality for the victims' friends and families.

Graham Wallis, whose body was winched from the water with survivors Ian Anderson and Phil Edwards, had died from drowning, the pathologist established.

It was impossible to be certain whether the others died from drowning or hypothermia, Mr Savage said. But the "balance of probability" was that both succumbed to hypothermia, became unconscious and then drowned.

The coroner's full findings will be made public in mid-August.

The inquest heard that search and rescue mission co-ordinator Terry Knight decided not to tell police about emergency beacon signals from the boat, despite this being normal procedure.

Crown solicitor Tim Gresson asked when Mr Knight plotted the location of the two beacon signals on a map.

About 10.50am, he said. Just after the initial alert.

He decided not to contact police because the location was about 12 nautical miles off the coast. If the beacon had been on land, he would have done so.

Mr Knight admitted he was aware that the National Rescue Co-ordination Centre had agreed to inform police every time a locator beacon transmission was detected.

Robert Stewart, representing marine duty officer Bruce Wilkinson, put to Mr Knight that when he called Mr Wilkinson at 12.01pm he informed him of four facts:

* He was dealing with two beacon callouts.

* One was in the Wanaka area and the other near Oamaru.

* Helicopters were heading to each location.

* A report from the helicopter heading to Oamaru was due soon.

Mr Knight agreed and said he and Mr Wilkinson arranged that he would call back when he heard from the pilot heading to Oamaru. He said he had given Mr Wilkinson all the information he had.

Mr Stewart suggested he did not tell Mr Wilkinson that the Oamaru beacon's position had been confirmed at 11.25am.

Mr Knight said he did not think it was necessary.

Mr Wilkinson said later in the day that he had chosen not to initiate a mayday call over the marine radio because he was not sure if the beacon had been positively located. Had he known, he would have sent the callout.

Mr Savage asked Mr Knight if he accepted that within 10 minutes of the initial alert being raised at 10.47am he was required to contact the marine duty officer.

He accepted that, but said he did not judge it as an immediate requirement at the time.

Mr Knight has questioned why it took so long for Helicopters Otago pilot Graeme Gale to contact him after taking off from Taieri Airport.

He had told Mr Gale about the beacon transmission at 11.19am and instructed him to ring him back before takeoff so he could be given the exact position.

He expected Mr Gale to reach the scene in 30 to 40 minutes, about noon.

By 12.27pm Mr Knight had not heard from Mr Gale and tried to reach him. He eventually contacted Dunedin air traffic control, who told him Mr Gale had left at 12.12pm.

Sergeant Brian Benn, who was winched from the helicopter to rescue the survivors, said he was surprised that neither the police communications unit nor the Maritime Operations Centre had been contacted about the incident until after the boat had been found.

- NZPA