What may have looked like an emergency sea rescue over the weekend was, in fact, a well co-ordinated training operation conducted by the Western Bay of Plenty Search and Rescue Squad.

The exercise, held on Saturday afternoon and continuing into Sunday morning, involved surf lifesaving volunteers from Mount Maunganui, Ōmanu, Pāpāmoa, and Pukehina surf clubs.

It was part of ongoing training to ensure the team remains ready for real-life incidents, according to Surf Life Saving New Zealand’s Eastern Region Manager, Chaz Gibbons-Campbell.

A member of the Western Bay of Plenty Search and Rescue Squad on a jetski near Motuotau Island during the training exercise. Photo/Supplied.

“We were running a search and rescue training exercise at Ōmanu with two inflatable rescue boats [IRBs], a jetski, and a land-based support team,” he said.

“In total, we had around 10 people involved on Sunday and about 12 on Saturday, working in around people’s available times.”

The two-day scenario was modelled on a real-life incident involving a flipped waka ama boat near Motuotau Island at Mount Maunganui.

Members of the Western Bay of Plenty Search and Rescue Squad training near Motuotau Island over the weekend. Photo/Supplied.

The team practised searching for six fictional people in the water, successfully locating five on Saturday. The search resumed early Sunday for the sixth target—a yellow buoy representing the final “missing” person.

“They managed to locate their target—a buoy equipped with a lifejacket—using water drift and tide analysis,” Gibbons-Campbell said. “The incident management team was calculating drift patterns and directing the water crews to the likely search areas. It was a great outcome.”

The training was designed to simulate realistic rescue conditions, including planning, deployment, and recovery.

Gibbons-Campbell noted the effectiveness of the team’s coordination.

“The team worked fantastically together. They set up an Incident Management Team [IMT] to coordinate logistics and support the water crews conducting grid searches,” he said.

The exercise began at 2pm on Saturday and wrapped up around 5pm. It resumed at 7am Sunday, finishing by mid-morning.

Western Bay of Plenty Search and Rescue Squad have been conducting a training exercise at Omanu over the weekend. Photo/Supplied.

At one point during the training, concerned members of the public approached the team, mistaking the activity for an actual emergency.

“We just want to reassure the public that everything was under control, it’s all safe and there’s nothing to worry about,” Gibbons-Campbell said.

Gibbons-Campbell said the buoy had a large label on it that explains that it’s a training aid in case the rescue team were unable to find it and it floated off.

“And it’s got a contact number on it in case somebody finds it on the beach. We were pretty confident where it would be in relation to the search area.”

He praised the dedication of the volunteers involved.

“We had a really good turnout from all these volunteers who gave their time freely. To see them over two days work as one big team has been great; and being able to swap people in and out to avoid fatigue and ensure safety.”

The Western Bay of Plenty Search and Rescue Squad conducts training sessions monthly or bi-monthly, varying in size and mainly focusing on skill-set training. Gibbons-Campbell said this weekend’s large-scale operation was one of their more comprehensive exercises.

“The squad organizes much of their own training, with support from Nicholas Wagstaff, our regional search and rescue support officer,” he said. “It’s great to see such a high level of commitment from our volunteers.”