Greymouth, 1 October 2025 - Coastguard West Coast is making strong progress in its ongoing efforts to restore rescue capability on the Grey River bar and surrounding coastline, following a weekend of intensive training in Greymouth with Coastguard Sumner from Christchurch.
The Grey River bar is notorious for its unpredictable and dangerous conditions. Since November 2023, Coastguard West Coast has been unable to respond to on-water incidents due to volunteer shortages. In the meantime, Coastguard has worked closely with Maritime New Zealand, Police, and other emergency services to ensure support for those in need.
As part of the unit’s rebuild, two surf-capable Rescue Watercraft (jet skis) have been purchased to provide rapid response capability for incidents such as overturned recreational boats, whitebaiters in distress, and surf zone searches.
“This is a significant step forward in our efforts to restore safety and confidence for the West Coast community by having some form of rescue capability,” said Rob Creasy, Regional Manager – Southern. “The Grey River bar is extremely changeable and dangerous. Having the right equipment and trained crew is essential to saving lives.”
Training is now underway for both existing and new volunteers, including a team of experienced big wave surfers who bring deep local knowledge of the Grey River bar, Cobden, and Blaketown. Over the coming years, these volunteers will build advanced search and rescue competencies to complement their expertise.
For the weekend training, Coastguard Sumner volunteers brought their vessel Hamilton Jet Rescue to Greymouth to test its performance in the Grey River bar’s notoriously challenging conditions. The exercise was designed to assess the suitability of similar rescue vessels for future use on the West Coast and to support local training efforts.
As part of the ongoing rebuild, planning is underway for the next stage of capability development, which may include securing a dedicated rescue vessel tailored to the unique conditions of the Grey River bar - potentially similar in design and function to Hamilton Jet Rescue.
“We’re committed to getting Coastguard West Coast back on the water, but as a volunteer-powered organisation, we need passionate people from the community to join us,” added Rob.
ENDS
Photo: Coastguard Sumner’s rescue vessel Hamilton Jet Rescue in Greymouth.
Credit: Ann Knipe Photography
