Wave sweeps rock fisherman to his death

A Korean man was swept to his death off the rocks at Cape Saunders yesterday, becoming the first rock-fishing fatality on the Otago coastline in about a decade.

Senior Sergeant Craig Brown of Dunedin said the 51-year-old was with family and friends preparing to fish off the rocks when he was caught by a large wave and swept into the sea.

The four people with him had difficulty raising the alarm because they had only one cellphone, which was in their car, and the victim had the keys in his pocket.

The man's companions smashed a window to retrieve the phone and emergency services were called at 11.20am.

Mr Brown said a water rescue team on the Otago regional rescue helicopter recovered the man's body off the cape soon after.

Dunedin Marine Search and Rescue chairman Martin Balch said there had been two "near misses" in the past five months where people were lucky not to have drowned at Cape Saunders.

In November, a 30-year-old fisherman was washed off the rocks, suffering a dislocated knee and two broken ankles.

He was lucky to be rescued by a passing fishing boat, Mr Balch said.

In February, an 18-year-old woman received cuts and lacerations when she was swept off the rocks. She was saved by her 22-year-old partner.

Mr Balch said the Korean man's death "is the third incident in just under five months. It doesn't make me feel very good."

"People aren't learning lessons here.

"In this area, we have been lucky notto have a fatality before now," he said.

Mr Brown and Mr Balch said the conditions were very dangerous at the time of the man's drowning and not appropriate for rock fishing. Swells could be irregular and unpredictable.

Witnesses said there were 3-4m swells and the waves were crashing 15m up the rock face.

Mr Balch said anyone considering rock fishing should research changes in tides and weather patterns for their fishing day, and should be suitably dressed in bright clothing and a lifejacket.

He also believed the Korean's fishing group should have sat for half an hour, watching the surf from a safe distance, to see what the swell was doing before they went on to the rocks.

- OTAGO DAILY TIMES