‘Tricky’ rescue of man who fell from cliff at Godley Head

A man had to be rescued after he slipped off a cliff and slid 100 meters down a scree gully onto rocks at Godley Head in Lyttelton Harbour.

Sumner Coastguard volunteers and the local Surf Life Saving SAR team were called to the incident under the lighthouse near the entrance to Lyttelton Harbor on Monday afternoon.

A Sumner Coast Guard spokesman said the man “slipped near the top of a cliff and slid 100 meters down a talus-filled ravine to the bottom.”

“The Sumner coastguard jet boat Hamilton Jet Rescue was on the water within six minutes, accompanied by the Urquhart Trust Rescue jet ski.

“Meanwhile, the Coast Guard Sumner all-weather vessel Blue Arrow Rescue acted as on-scene command and provided liaison to the incident command team established at AFB Sumner.

“As part of a joint effort, Sumner-Taylors Surf Life Saving dispatched two IRBs to the scene to provide additional support.

“The man was found quickly, just eight minutes after the launch.

“The extraction was difficult: through a narrow entrance between the stones.

“Two members of the Sumner Coast Guard crew and a member of the surf rescue team swam to the victim from a jet boat that was maneuvering nearby in the bay.”

The spokesman said the man was transferred to a jet boat and then to an all-weather vessel.

On board, he was examined by medically trained Coast Guard crew members and wrapped in warm clothing for return to base.

He was met by a waiting ambulance and taken to hospital for further treatment.

“This was a complex and technical rescue operation that required precise coordination and planning, especially as daylight was rapidly fading. A huge well done to everyone involved.”