Three coastguard boats from Tauranga and Maketu and more than a dozen personnel spent three hours searching the sea after a party of three fishermen failed to return from a late afternoon fishing trip off Rabbit Island last night.
Coastguard boats spent three hours searching at sea for a fishing party
The three men set out at 4.30pm saying they would be back before sundown. The men instead fished under the harbour bridge, returning to the Sulphur Point ramp at 11.45pm.
Tauranga police say one person on board the 3.2 metre boat had a working cell phone, but failed to notify concerned family of the change of plans, say Tauranga police.
It was the family of one of the three men who reported the boat was overdue.
Tauranga police are today unable to say if the three men will have to pay for the costs of the three hour search.
Police encourage all small boat users to notify someone on the shore of their intended destination, ETA, and any change of plans.
All occupants should have a fitted life jacket, and each boat should have at least two forms of working communication on board.
Missing fishermen were under the harbour bridge
6 comments
Coastguard Heroes.
Posted on 09-03-2014 10:40 | By Age
They should be made to pay some sort of compensation, Donation, towards the coastguard ,I was out there last night and saw just how much involvement and work was put in to look for 3 people who did not consider family members ,let alone the coastguard and others that put their own lives at risk in searching for them in the dark. Plus there was another rescue that had to be put on hold while they looked for these wasters.
Make them pay
Posted on 09-03-2014 12:03 | By penguin
If 'offenders' in such cases were required to pay for the costs of fruitless searches, it might encourage people to make better decisions. Yes, the Coastguard is a voluntary organisation, but it does incur significant costs in looking for people!
why
Posted on 09-03-2014 14:38 | By Capt_Kaveman
if they had a working cell ph did they ring it?
think first
Posted on 09-03-2014 15:36 | By usandthem
Why didn't the family that reported them missing get in contact with the other 2 families before doing so then they would have known that one of them had a cellphone and could have phoned to find out if they were in trouble.
not compensation
Posted on 09-03-2014 18:40 | By hapukafin
these boaties need to pay the full cost of the search plus........
Let someone know!
Posted on 09-03-2014 23:04 | By TJ
I feel sorry for the family of these guys who must have been so worried And the families of the coastguard members who are also affected by unnecessary callouts like this one.
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