A Coastguard Kaikōura boat in South Bay. Photo: RNZ / Samantha Gee
The Coastguard says the dangers of crossing sandbars were tragically highlighted this month with two South Island boating tragedies within a fortnight, but it hopes to better educate boaties with its first nationwide bar awareness campaign.
Three people died when their boat capsized on the Riverton Bar in early August while a man died last Saturday when a boat overturned approaching the Catlins River bar.
The Coastguard's campaign starts this weekend, with the first seminars at the New Zealand Fishing Hunting and 4X4 Expo in Rotorua.
Coastguard bar awareness programme lead Simon Marshall said the message needed to be clear - if in doubt, don't go out.
"[Crossing a bar] is the most dangerous thing you can do on your boat, so you've got to treat the moana with respect and do all your preparation before you head out."
Things could go wrong crossing a sandbar whether it was your first time or the hundredth time, he added.
"Treat the bar with respect, come along to one of our bar crossing seminars around the country... always be prepared, always wear a life jacket, always carry a personal locator beacon and a VHF radio."
Marshall said the Coastguard had run seminars for quite a few years but until last year these were focused around the Auckland region.
It ran 11 seminars in 2023, he said.
"We're almost doubling that this year with seminars in more than 20 locations. This is first time we're doing a national campaign, with promotion, and we've packaged everything up as a roadshow.
Seminars were given by local Coastguard volunteers, members of fishing clubs, and some harbourmasters, he said.
"It's by the community for the community. It's been a real challenge co-ordinating more than 20 community groups.... but it's been amazing how quick everyone has come on board, because everyone understands how important this work is.
More than 20 free seminars will be held around the motu in the next few months.
A seminar that was to be held in Riverton had been postponed out of respect for the local community, Marshall said.