When Sergeant Hayden Bonny and Detective Ben Pye were deployed with the rest of the National Police Dive Squad to Whakaari/White Island in the aftermath of its catastrophic eruption on December 9, 2019, they knew it would be no ordinary mission.

“It was a bit of the unknown,” Hayden says. “Obviously, it was international news at that stage, and several people had died… We’ve been involved in many multi-agency operations in the past, but not to this magnitude.”

For Ben, the first sign of the significance of the mission was while waiting with members of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) explosive ordnance disposal squadron.

“They all looked very nervous. We had to sit there for quite a while and I got a bit of time to think. [I just hoped] that Whakaari had done its thing and nothing else was going to happen,” says Ben, who joined Police in 2012 and the dive squad nine years ago.

Ben and Hayden soon found themselves at the centre of one of New Zealand’s most challenging and emotionally charged recovery operations. 

Hayden says the memory that sticks most in his mind was of the first day they went out to the island with the NZDF team and realising once they arrived, the magnitude of what they were doing and how important it was for them to play their role in hazardous circumstances.

He has been with the dive squad since 2008 and worked as a dive instructor before he joined Police in 2006 but he says the Whakaari was the pinnacle of his professional challenges. 

Ben and Hayden were among the 12 men to receive Gold Merit Awards from Police Commissioner Richard Chambers in April. The citations acknowledged their “bravery, professionalism and dedication under uniquely difficult conditions in response to the Whakaari/White Island volcanic eruption”.

Surreal conditions

Hayden says the dive team’s preparation – including regular training days and attaining specialised qualifications – was crucial when it was time to navigate the treacherous conditions on and around the island.

Ben recalls the unique safety protocols needed: “There were lots of added safety things on that trip that we didn't normally have, like wearing gas detectors for carbon monoxide and other gases and being kitted out in the white overalls the whole time, and we had gas masks just in case. 

“We were told that if we see the birds flying away to stay underwater and get as far away as possible.”

The dive team was initially tasked with supporting the NZDF with the recovery of those who had died on the island. 

“Then we started to search for the last two missing persons [island tour guide Hayden Marshall and young Australian tourist Winona Langford] to try to bring them home,” Hayden says. 

“When we got out there, I remember the acid. It was like acid rain burning my eyeballs.,” he recalls. “While this was going on, the volcano was active and, at times, erupting.”

Ben says he could not get over how different the water surrounding Whakaari was from the rest of the ocean.

“We were told it was acidic and it was definitely a different colour, it was just a big cloud coming out of there… it was a surreal experience coming out of that cloud into the normal water. It was like paradise, and then back into the cloud.”

To Hayden, the sulphur in the air and the water, the rumbling volcano, “being out there with three NZDF warships and all the helicopters in the air” created a scene closer to wartime than a real-world recovery mission.

Mission focussed

Supported by Police’s Auckland Maritime Unit and equipped with specialised Viking rubber suits to protect against the corrosive waters, the team began the methodical and meticulous operation. They dove in pairs, search-group swimming in the bay where island tour guide Hayden Marshall and Australian tourist Winona Langford were last seen.

“The actual diving was so, so hot in those rubber suits,” Ben says. “It was really hard under there, because it was so hot and smelly and just [knowing there were] those bizarre plans if something did go wrong. That warning to watch the birds, they know it before we do, just stay under. Just knowing that if something does go wrong, it’s going to go really wrong.

“A lot of the time I was focused on the fact we’ve got a job to do, and we want to bring home these loved ones so that [the families] can mourn,” Ben says. “Unfortunately we couldn't do that.”

Hayden Marshall and Winona Langford were never found.

“That’s something that always sticks with you, that you haven't been able to do that,” Ben says. “Whereas it's always a good feeling on the other jobs. That's what I think about going to jobs is that we're doing it for other people. It's probably the most tragic times of their lives, and we can assist with making it somewhat better.”

The psychological toll of the mission could have been significant but the culture of the dive team, good coping mechanisms and strong support at home ensured that didn’t happen, Hayden says.

“And, internally, we have the training and the expertise to get the job done... that's the thing [with the dive squad], there’s no one else that can do it, there’s only us,” he says.

Hayden admits he didn’t fully comprehend the operation’s extreme nature at the time: “I guess I didn't realise it until we all started to reflect of how hazardous the job really was. There were definitely risks there. You had to put them aside and realise we're there to do a job… and we had the expertise to do that job.”

Both Ben and Hayden say they are honoured to receive Gold Merit Awards alongside their dive team colleagues.

“I thought it was a pretty amazing job in such tragic circumstances, a tremendous effort by the squad and Police, and the NZDF and everyone else who worked on it,” Hayden says.

Ben agrees: “Obviously, it was a huge team effort from everybody. Happy to do that but, like I said, disappointed we couldn't locate the two people. I'm happy and grateful.”