Wear your life jacket and make proper preparations before heading out to sea are the key messages from Whangamata Police conducting a body recovery operation today.
Sergeant Vince Ranger of the Whangamata Police said the Wellington based Police Dive Squad will be arriving in the town this afternoon to assist in the search for a missing 24-year-old Cambridge man.
"The man was one of a pair out fishing off Hauturu (Clark) Island on a sea kayak that got into trouble about 5.15pm.
"It appears when the men have deployed an anchor from the stern of their craft a rear hatch was left open and water began filling up the inside of the kayak. When the men realised what had happened they tried to return to shore but their kayak was swamped and sank."
One of the men managed to swim to Hauturu Island and go to the Whangamata side of the island spending about 20 minutes trying to raise the alarm with people on shore.
"Local residents have seen a man on the island in distress and notified the Surf Life Saving Club, they thought they were dealing with someone stranded on the island but arrived to find someone was still in the water unaccounted for and escalated the response accordingly."
"The men's' predicament was made more desperate because they were not wearing life jackets and only had one paddle between them. Their ability to swim to safety was severely hampered by the fact they were wearing heavy clothing and boots so we're lucky we're not dealing with a double tragedy."
Mr Ranger urged people to familiarise themselves with boating safety advice and equipped to survive in the water. Most importantly ensuring they are always wearing life jackets.
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