Sumner, 25 April 2025 - At 11:57am, our Coastguard Operations Centre was notified by Police of a paraglider crash at Taylor’s Mistake, Christchurch.
Coastguard Sumner alerted and responded within 10 minutes, launching two rescue vessels, jet boat HamiltonJet Rescue and jetski Ian Dewe Rescue. With a stiff north-east wind blowing, conditions were challenging as the crew located the paraglider entangled in their chute.
Two Coastguard volunteers onboard - both trained medical professionals - entered the water and found the individual initially unresponsive, but breathing. They freed them from the chute and brought them onboard HamiltonJet Rescue.
The vessel beached at Taylor’s Mistake, where the patient was handed over to Fire and Emergency New Zealand personnel, who assisted in transferring them to a waiting Hato Hone St John ambulance where crews treated and then transported the person to Christchurch Hospital in a serious condition.
In total, 20 Coastguard volunteers responded to the incident, both on the water and on shore, playing vital roles in ensuring a swift and coordinated rescue.
Coastguard volunteers had just attended the local ANZAC Day service in Sumner and were gathered outside the site of the old RSA when the call came through, enabling a rapid response.
