Mysterious man raises alarm after whitebaiter was swept out to sea

The family of a white man from Oamaru who set sail says they owe a mysterious man “a lot.”

Craig Andrew was rescued by helicopter yesterday morning after being dragged 3 km north of the mouth of the Waitaki River.

He was airlifted to Dunedin Hospital in critical condition.

The 40-year-old man suffered a heart attack mid-flight and was admitted to the intensive care unit.

His mother, sister and partner were by his side last night. Her stepfather, Bruce Cawley, described her condition as “50:50”.

Emergency services were alerted to the accident by a white man on the south side, and without him, Andrew would still be missing, his stepfather said.

“I don’t know who it was …

“I hope the boy wants to contact us to thank him.

“It would have been a different scenario.

“I am also very, very grateful to the emergency services. They do a wonderful job.”

The fact that he was wearing a life jacket, a gift from his stepfather, made a difference, said Cawley, who strongly believed in taking safety precautions.

“It doesn’t matter if you are my age, their age or a small child, it’s just a question of safety.

“[Without it] the water would have sunk it and they would still be searching. “

The Waitaki River was Andrew’s favorite place to fish for hair. He caught 32 kg last weekend, and the 15-year-old veteran fisherman knew the place “very well.”

Cawley described his stepson as a down to earth man and called his 2-year-old daughter the “spark of his life.”

The incident comes after a dying man in the same area survived after being washed into the sea three weeks ago.

The man was wearing a life jacket and returned to shore without assistance.