My son was visiting New Zealand for only a few weeks when I noticed some surfable waves rolling in from the house.

We decided to take advantage of the conditions and paddled out—he on a sit-on-top kayak and I on a SUP. Since the conditions were rough, I equipped him with a ResQLink 400 PLB, a wetsuit, and a life jacket. To reach the offshore breaks faster, we crossed the small island to avoid the strong onshore wind. My son paddled out ahead of me and caught a wave, while I followed shortly after, only to see his kayak empty and drifting far away.

Panic set in as I paddled frantically to find him. I searched in widening circles but couldn’t spot him behind the big waves. Horrible thoughts raced through my mind—why did we go out in these conditions? The weather had turned bad. Had a shark attacked him, or had he hit his head and drowned?

I contacted emergency services and anxiously waited on the beach. Listening to the rescue efforts on the radio alongside a police officer. Just as I was losing hope, I heard the officer say, “A locator beacon has been activated in the area!”

No one else was out there — it had to be my son!

A strong tide had prevented him from swimming back to the island. He let himself drift further out, activated the locator beacon, and waited. Half an hour later, we reunited on shore. A surf life-saving boat picked up my son, cold but otherwise unharmed, far out at sea.

Our ordeal was over, thanks to the coordinated efforts of Nelson Surf Lifesaving, the Coast Guard, the Harbor Master, the rescue helicopter, and the Police SAR.

I cannot express how thankful I am to everyone involved: emergency services, volunteers, and my mother, who gave me the PLB!

Ngā mihi,

Tomas and Felix