NZ adventurer rescued after signalling with flare
04/11/2022
Adventurer and Tik Tok influencer Brando Ferg has been rescued by the Coastguard on an island in the Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand, after signalling with a flare.
The Māori hunter and gatherer was fishing with his cousin and her partner one day in October when his boat steering snapped.
So, they landed on nearby Arapaoa Island, but could not call the emergency services as their VHF radio batteries were flat and they were in a mobile phone blackspot.
From his experience as an adventurer, Ferg believed that if they stayed put, they would be found.
They built a shelter and cooked fish and other seafood.
They heard one boat at around 3am, but by the time they ran to reach a flare, it had passed.
In the morning, they spotted the Coastguard, which had been contacted by concerned family members, signalled with a flare and were rescued. “If not for Coastguard NZ, we could still be out there now,” he says.
“We would like to thank them for all their hard effort and commitment they put into finding us and also for saving lives throughout New Zealand altogether.”
