Five lost at sea in high waves

Two men and three children were missing at sea in atrocious conditions off the Bay of Plenty coast last night.

Searchers spent hours trying to find the party in huge seas after one of the men sent a distress text saying they were lost.

The men and three children, aged 12, 13, and 14, launched an 18-foot, red and white, fibreglass runabout from the Kaituna River and headed for Motunau Island, also known as Plate Island, 14km off the Maketu coast, to go snorkelling about 8.30am yesterday.

Senior Sergeant Glenn Saunders, of Tauranga, said one of the men on the boat sent a text to his wife just after noon, the time they were due to return, saying they were lost at sea and to call for the Coastguard.

Four of the party were believed to be from Rotorua and one from Taupo, he said.

A fixed-wing aircraft, with heat-seeking equipment and radar, flew into the area just before 8pm. Coastguard crews, exhausted from searching in five metre swells, were asked to return to shore to allow it to sweep the area. An air force Orion was also on standby.

Police believed there were enough life jackets on the runabout, and it had a marine radio but no contact had been made.

Four male relatives of the missing group were keeping vigil at the Maketu Surf Lifesaving Club last night, gazing out at the rough seas. Club chairman Mike Hickson had opened the rooms to look after distraught relatives.

Maketu Community Board Member Carol Poihipi said the weather was terrible last night and she could see eight to 10- metre waves through breaks in the sea mist.

"It changes so quickly. I got quite a shock when I went up with my glasses. I look at that sea and think dear God. I just hope they're all right."

"I would not like to be out there at all ... You really just think of the family they belong to. I know how I'd be feeling if it was mine out there."

Coastguard boats from Tauranga, Whangamata, and two other area coastguards, including one from Maketu, were launched to search for the missing boat just after noon.

Saunders said search efforts had been hampered by "poor weather, poor visibility, and deteriorating seas conditions", including 35-knot winds.

"Visability is basically zero. We've got rain, wind and low cloud. You can't see down the road."

About 7pm, Tom Scott, from Tauranga Volunteer Coastguard said the weather was "absolutely terrible" with 35-plus knot winds and 5m swells. A spotter plane had to turn back because of the weather and a helicopter was able to fly only for brief periods.

"Our own crews are getting hammered out there and we'll have to relieve them fairly soon," Scott said. "With the helicopter, if the boat's on the surface they would have seen it."

Shane Beech, 45, searched for about five hours on the Maketu Volunteer Sea Rescue boat and said he was exhausted when he returned to shore last night.

"It's been a bit of an ordeal. You certainly do your best and you're trying to keep positive. It takes a bit of a toll on you mentally and physically. Going on what little information we had it was like searching for a needle in a haystack."

The search was handed over to the national Rescue Co-ordination Centre about 8pm. Dominion Post

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