Sea was ‘like a washing machine’
Arriving at Snapper Rock, the friend reported a strong current and the sea was dirty, after recent bad weather. He said there were waves, but he’d fished in worse conditions.
As they fished, they each drank about five cans, but Zimmerman’s friend said he showed no signs of being intoxicated. Zimmerman was wearing a hoodie with an oilskin vest, track pants and gumboots. Neither man wore a life jacket.
At some point, Zimmerman started jumping from one rock to another. Before the friend could tell him to stop, the 32-year-old attempted to jump one or two metres between rocks. The front of his gumboots slipped, and he fell on his chest, sliding into the white and surging water.
His friend described the sea between the two rocks as like a “washing machine” with a strong current. A wave washed over the agricultural sprayer, pulling him further out to sea. He was pulled under the water and when he resurfaced, water was coming out of his mouth.
Zimmerman called for his friend to grab his fishing rod, but it pulled apart before Zimmerman could grab it. His friend said the conditions were beyond his own swimming ability, so he didn’t jump in. Instead, he encouraged Zimmerman to swim, but he said he couldn’t.
The waves had pulled him out about 20 metres when another wave washed over him, and he did not resurface.
His friend ran up the hill to get mobile reception, calling his mother, who alerted emergency services. When he returned, Zimmerman was floating face down, drifting away from the rocks.
Emergency services were dispatched and a search began involving members of Whanganui and South Taranaki Coastguard, the Taranaki Rescue Helicopter, two inflatable boats from the Whanganui Surf Club and later, the Police National Dive Squad.
After several days of searching, Zimmerman’s cousin found his body at Ototoka Beach on June 7, 2022, about 4.5km from where he was fishing.
Coroner Mark Wilton made no specific recommendations but referred to earlier advice from Surf Life Saving NZ, which has advised other inquests about how to mitigate the hazards of rock fishing.
These include always wearing a lifejacket and taking a flotation device, such as a life ring or a bucket. Always fish from a safe location and check the weather and surf conditions before setting out. If the weather or conditions look dangerous, don’t go fishing. People are also advised always to fish with someone and wear light, warm clothing, including a life jacket and appropriate shoes with grip. Finally, they should know how to get help.
A post-mortem revealed the presence of alcohol and cannabis in Zimmerman’s blood, and while he had a head injury, this was not thought to have contributed to his death, which a pathologist and the coroner agreed was caused by drowning.
In 2022, Water Safety NZ recorded 94 preventable drowning deaths, the first time the statistic has passed 90 since 2011. Last year, there were 72 fatalities, the lowest in six years.
A 10-year review of rock fishing deaths conducted by Surf Lifesaving NZ between 2011 and 2021 found there was an average of three fatal drownings a year from rock fishing. Those who died were mostly men, aged between 25- and 64-years-old and of Asian descent. From 2018 to 2022, there were 25 rock fishing fatalities in New Zealand.
Catherine Hutton is an Open Justice reporter, based in Wellington. She has worked as a journalist for 20 years, including at the Waikato Times and RNZ. Most recently, she worked as a media adviser at the Ministry of Justice.
