Taranaki, Tuesday 6 May 2025 - Coastguard South Taranaki received a NZSAR Certificate of Achievement for Operational Activity at the 2025 New Zealand Search and Rescue Awards, held this evening at Parliament, in recognition for their extraordinary efforts in the search for a missing diver near the Pātea Bar in March 2024.
Presented by Hon James Meager, Associate Minister for Transport, the NZSAR Awards honour exceptional search and rescue efforts across New Zealand’s 30 million square kilometre Search and Rescue (SAR) region.
On 10 March 2024, Daryl John Gibbs failed to return from a scuba dive, approximately five nautical miles off the coast near the Pātea Bar, in South Taranaki. Coastguard was alerted first by radio and responded quickly to the scene. Conditions soon deteriorated and remained poor for the majority of the SAR operation.
Over the next six days, Coastguard South Taranaki volunteers conducted marine searches in collaboration with Coastguard Whanganui and Manawatū, Ohakea Airforce, Taranaki Rescue Helicopter, LandSAR and private vessels & aircraft.
When sea conditions meant they could not safely cross the Pātea Bar to join the day’s marine search, Coastguard South Taranaki volunteers continued to contribute by conducting shoreline searches on foot and by all-terrain vehicle as well as providing local knowledge and advice to the incident management team.
Coastguard South Taranaki President Gary Darnell, said, “Daryl and his family were known to many of us at Coastguard South Taranaki. Our volunteers showed incredible determination, professionalism and tenacity throughout the operation. Not finding him hurts, it was incredibly hard to keep the emotion out of the search, we hate coming home to families empty-handed. In the months that followed, we’ve been humbled by the support from our community, including donations and a school fundraiser led by Daryl’s son. It’s been a powerful reminder that we’re not alone in this work — our whole community stands behind us.”
The crew clocked over 900 volunteer hours during the multi-day operation and demonstrated exceptional professionalism, communication, and teamwork.
Philip Harkness, acting CEO of Coastguard Tautiaki Moana adds, “We are incredibly proud of the unwavering dedication and professionalism shown by our South Taranaki volunteers. This recognition reflects the courage and compassion they bring to every search and rescue effort, even in the most heartbreaking of circumstances.”
The NZSAR Awards are determined by the New Zealand Search and Rescue Council and honour those who have gone above and beyond in the service of others.
