Helicopters New Zealand provide transport via helicopter to all the rigs, drillships and FPSOs off the Taranaki coast. Cape Egmont Sea Rescue spends a lot of time training on helicopter crash scenarios and it was great for us to be invited to go behind the scenes and see the high standard of staff training and helicopter maintenance at HNZ.

Steve Bone and Brian Dravitzki were very generous with their time showing us around and are obviously passionate about their work. HNZ and CESRT are now planning a training scenario in the future in which some of the "lucky" staff members of HNZ test out their drysuits in the chill  waters off Cape Egmont in a search and retrieve exercise. Average water temperature for this time of year is 14 degrees but the wind chill factor usually brings the temperature down to 9 degrees.

The drysuits all helicopter passengers and crew wear are essential for their survival in the unlikely event of the chopper ditching in the sea.