The parents of a man washed out to sea while whitebaiting on Sunday are urging people to wear lifejackets, even if they are on shore.

The whitebaiter swept out to sea at the Rakaia River mouth last night has been named by police.

A whitebaiter in Canterbury was spotted by a rescue helicopter, then moments later swept out to sea.

As he shivered in darkness beneath a bed of dried ferns, 11-year-old James Regnier waved helplessly at the passing rescue helicopter above the dense bush canopy.

An 11-year-old Christchurch boy survived the night in dense bush on the West Coast at the weekend, while wearing just a pair of shorts and singlet.

A man whose 60-year-old son drowned at sea said he `lived for fishing'' and was happiest whenever he was out on the ocean.

Later today a decision will be made whether to send divers down to look at a fishing vessel, believed to be the boat that disappeared off the Fiordland coast on Saturday with two onboard.

Search teams will be back out this morning looking for a fishing vessel which is missing off the coast of Fiordland.

A massive search was due to resume this morning for two fishermen whose boat capsized near Fiordland.

After spending a month in a snow cave to fundraise for avalanche dogs, Blair Whitaker and two guests were forced to dig their way out, thanks to a blizzard.