Two people were flown to hospital, one in a serious condition, after strong winds and significant swells capsized a group of rafters off the Catlins coast.
Emergency services were called to Papatowai, about 20km south of Owaka, about 3.15pm yesterday following reports of people struggling in the water.
The incident took place during a coastal paddle stage of adventure race MAGNIficent.
Race co-director Andy Magness said the incident occurred as wind came up “quite severely” during the afternoon while competitors in pack rafts were travelling north up the coast.
Earlier, a Hato Hone St John spokesman said two patients were taken to Dunedin Hospital by helicopter, one in a serious condition and one in a moderate condition.
Mr Magness said organisers had confirmed the patients, who were in the water for about 45 minutes, had received “a bit of a shock” but were “warm and they’re fine”.
Race competitors had to have passed a swim test and were required to be wearing a wetsuit or dry suit and a lifejacket.
Video footage earlier in the day shows treacherous conditions for coasteering, or navigation of the intertidal zone. A member of the race’s media team and two of the safety crew were swept off rocks by a wave during a video shoot and were pulled back to shore, unharmed, by other crew members.
Mr Magness said yesterday afternoon, while coming ashore in Tahakopa Bay, several teams capsized in breakers and although racers were hitched to their rafts in anticipation of this, not all the tethers held.
“The problem was all of this kind of happened at once,” he said.
Some racers made it to the beach, while others were swept down the coast as their empty boats washed on to the beach.
At the time, the race safety boat was shepherding a group of paddlers around Tautuku Peninsula, and the captain did not feel it was safe to leave them, he said.
Emergency procedures were activated, and organisers were able to rapidly co-ordinate with police and the Rescue Co-ordination Centre, Mr Magness said.
All capsized racers got themselves to shore, where they were assessed.
“Obviously, it’s very stressful when something like this happens, but we feel like it was a pretty good result, and everybody worked pretty well together,” he said.
“But it’s the nature of adventure racing, right? There is risk involved. And we manage the risk. We do not eliminate it.”
The rest of the afternoon’s paddling section was called off due to high winds and drained resources following the rescue.