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Source: ONE News -
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A father and son fishing trip off the Northland coast turned to tragedy on Saturday when a 51-year-old Norman Dalebrook drowned trying to free his boat which had run aground.
Dalebrook and his son David, 16, were on a weekend fishing trip near Taranga Island, off the coast of Whangarei.
The pair ran into heavy seas, and their boat, a 10.5m trimaran Skyliner ran aground.
The boat - named after Dalebrook's Skyline cafe on State Highway 1 near Waipu - was anchored off Taranga Island, but heavy winds and rain dislodged their mooring early in the morning. The pair leapt from the boat to nearby rocks, but Dalebrook slipped, hit his head and drowned.
David, one of eight children, launched an emergency beacon signal, which was detected at 7.13am.
When he saw the Northland Emergency Services Trust helicopter overhead, David activated a flare to guide them in.
The helicopter lowered a winch to pick up David and then his father's body.
Chief pilot Pete Turnbull told the Herald David's success in activating the beacon and flare were critical to the rescue effort.
"He did a remarkable job in the situation he was in. He was very composed. I thought he was beyond his 16 years."
David was discharged from Whangarei Hospital after being checked over.
Meanwhile, father-of-five Halatoaonga Mafi, 32, died and his brother-in-law Paula Kilisimasi, 26, was treated for hypothermia after their dinghy capsized at Omana Bay, east of Auckland on Saturday.
The two were fishing about 200 metres from shore, when their 2.1 metre fibreglass dinghy got into trouble.
Kilisimasi swam to shore, and after an extensive air and sea search that lasted more than three hours Mafi's body was found 50 metres from the submerged boat.
Police said the sea was "quite calm" and alcohol was believed to be a factor. Neither man was wearing a lifejacket.
Maritime Police Sergeant John Saunders said the dinghy was cracked along the bottom and should not have been at sea. "It was a piece of junk."
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