The Enchanter Fishing Boat Tragedy: Inside One Of New Zealand’s Largest Maritime Rescue Operations

Dr Paul Davis¹, Mr Dan O’Reilly

¹Northern Rescue Helicopter Limited, , New Zealand

Abstract:

On the evening of the 20th of March 2022, the Enchanter, a 16m private fishing charter vessel, was returning from an offshore fishing trip at the remote northern tip of New Zealand’s North Island when tragedy struck. A rogue wave capsized the vessel in adverse weather conditions, smashing it apart. In the dark and cold of the night, the ten men onboard were thrown into the water, and five sadly lost their lives. However, after three hours and much effort, the remaining five men were found clinging to the vessel’s debris and were rescued via helicopter winch retrieval.

 This presentation seeks to detail the experience of Northern Rescue Helicopter Limited (NRHL) and its crews that were involved in this night maritime rescue operation. It discusses details of the mission response and execution, including the many challenges the crews faced collectively and in their respective roles. In addition, lessons learned will also be discussed, as will the subsequent training and operational changes NRHL has implemented following this mission.

 It is hoped that Aviators, Crewmen, and Clinicians alike will all be enlightened by this shared experience.

Biographies:

Paul Davis is a senior Critical Care Flight Paramedic, Rescue Swimmer, and Aircrew Officer (ACO) with Northern Rescue Helicopter Limited (NRHL), based in Whangarei, Northland, New Zealand. With almost 20 years of experience in the sector, Paul holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Science and has an interest in paramedic-based prehospital emergency care. He is a former New Zealand Special Air Service Regiment soldier and has deployed on operations in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Paul’s current role is as a Deputy Clinical Operations Manager and ACO instructor.

Dan O’Reilly has been a rescue pilot in northern New Zealand for 14 years and flies the S76C++ and AW169 from two bases, one in Auckland and the other in Whangarei. Dan is an A-category instructor and flight examiner with 30 years of flying experience. He served in the Royal New Zealand Air Force for 15 years and was deployed to operations around Southeast Asia, the Pacific, and Antarctica. Dan is currently the Training and Standards Manager for NRHL, responsible for all aviation-related training for the organisation’s 90+ aircrew.