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A Dannevirke woman is recovering in hospital after almost drowning when she was trapped underneath an overturned fishing boat yesterday.
Pam Bassett, aged 63, and her husband Jim were out checking crayfish pots off Herbertville in southern Hawke's Bay when their 4.5m boat was flipped over by a wave.
Mr Bassett was tossed clear but his wife was trapped underneath the boat.
He tried desperately to right the boat but it would not move.
Then six locals who had watched the drama from shore waded through big swells to reach the boat.
They were able to turn it over and drag Mrs Bassett on to some rocks.
"She was not breathing at first, but they pushed on her chest and she brought up some water and started to breathe," Herbertville fire service volunteer Mark Edwards told The Dominion Post.
"By the time the rescue helicopter arrived she was talking a bit."
Mrs Bassett was flown to Hawke's Bay Hospital, where she is reported to be in a stable condition.
A friend of the Bassetts, Colin Hansen, said Mr Bassett was an experienced fisherman, but had been in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"He got in too close to shore in his boat. The sea was flat, but had a big swell."
Search and Rescue Coordinator for Palmerston North police Bill Nicholson said the couple had luck on their side.
"This couple were extremely fortunate that this incident occurred close to shore and help was readily at hand."
He said although there were life jackets on board, the couple were not wearing them.
"It reinforces the fact that things can turn pear shaped in an instant and that boaties should always be wearing their life jackets."
- NZPA
