A fishing boat crew member was winched to safety after falling ill in big swells off the West Coast yesterday.
The Nelson Marlborough Rescue helicopter was sent to help a fishing boat about 48km off Westport.
"A crew member had become ill on board and required medical attention. An Intensive Care Paramedic was winched on board the Don Wong fishing vessel to attend to the crew member in approx 3m swells," a Nelson Marlborough Rescue Helicopter spokesperson said.
Both people were winched off and flown to Westport Airfield. There, the patient was stabilised before being flown to Nelson Hospital's emergency department for further assessment.
The Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand sent the helicopter to the boat.
