A fisherman who was plucked from the turbulent waters near the Raglan bar on Saturday says he owes his life to one simple piece of gear: his life jacket. Without it, he believes he and his teenage son would never have made it home.<\/p>\n
Stephen Wright and his son Mason had set out that morning for what they thought would be a routine fishing trip in the Raglan Harbour. The pair were aboard their JetSki, anchored in about 13 metres of water, enjoying the calm before the tide shifted. But within moments, what began as a peaceful outing turned into a desperate fight for survival.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe anchor rope was too short,\u201d Wright later explained. \u201cIt wanted more. And instead of releasing, it pulled the JetSki in. The next thing we knew, it tipped sideways, and we were in the water.\u201d<\/p>\n
The sudden capsize separated father and son from their JetSki almost immediately. Within minutes, they found themselves adrift, about 200 metres from either shore. What might have been a short swim in calmer waters quickly became a terrifying ordeal as the Raglan bar revealed its dangerous reputation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought, \u2018Let\u2019s swim for it,\u2019\u201d Wright recalled. \u201cWe had our life jackets on, so I figured we\u2019d be alright. But no matter how hard we tried, we weren\u2019t making ground. The current was dragging us out further and further.\u201d<\/p>\n
Soon, the pair were caught among the bar\u2019s notorious waves, powerful and relentless walls of water crashing down with force. \u201cThey were coming down on us real hard,\u201d Wright said. \u201cYou don\u2019t realise how small you are until you\u2019re in it. Every wave just takes it out of you.\u201d<\/p>\n
With exhaustion setting in and no sign of escape, Wright knew they had to act quickly. He reached for his personal locator beacon (PLB), a small device carried for emergencies exactly like this. Setting it off, he also managed to place a call to 111, reaching the police to alert them of the unfolding emergency.<\/p>\n
The next half hour felt like an eternity. The cold water began to seep into their bones, numbing their limbs and making it harder to stay focused. Both father and son were showing the first signs of hypothermia, shivering uncontrollably as they bobbed helplessly in the swell.<\/p>\n
At last, the sound of salvation cut through the roar of the waves. A rescue team arrived and pulled the pair to safety, bringing an end to what could have been a tragic day on the water. Though both were treated for hypothermia, they escaped without injury\u2014something Wright credits entirely to their life jackets and the fast response of rescuers.<\/p>\n
Reflecting on the ordeal, Wright\u2019s voice carried a mix of relief and disbelief. \u201cWe would\u2019ve drowned without those jackets. There\u2019s no doubt about it. You just don\u2019t expect things to go wrong until they do\u2014and then it\u2019s too late. That beacon, that phone call, and those jackets saved us.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A fisherman who was plucked from the turbulent waters near the Raglan bar on Saturday says he owes his life to one simple piece of gear: his life jacket. Without it, he believes he and his teenage son would never have made it home. Stephen Wright and his son Mason had set out that morning […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7233,"featured_media":35617,"template":"","survivor-stories-category":[12],"survivor-stories-cause":[],"survivor-stories-event":[],"survivor-stories-rescue":[47],"survivor-stories-terrain":[24],"class_list":["post-35633","survivor-stories","type-survivor-stories","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","survivor-stories-category-fishing","survivor-stories-rescue-local-search-and-rescue","survivor-stories-terrain-ocean"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n