Two Dramatic Evening Rescues by Surf Lifeguards​

Two evening rescues in the last several days were performed by Surf Life Saving NZ Search and Rescue Squads. 

On Thursday 7 November the Kāpiti Search and Rescue squad responded to an emergency situation at Rocky Bay, north of Tītahi Bay on Wellington’s Kāpiti Coast. A small vessel with three fishers onboard was unable to restart its engine and drifted onto rocks.  

 The (SAR) squad launched two Inflatable Rescue Boats (IRBs). Coastguard and Police also responded. The boat and fishers were safely brought to shore.  

And on Friday evening the Bethells Beach Surf Life Saving Patrol Search & Rescue squad performed a daring rescue at last light after a swimmer was swept out to sea in a rip.  

Four teenagers, one male and three female, had been swimming at the unpatrolled beach on an outgoing tide. Strong currents pulled them off a sand bank and were sucked out to sea. Three were able to self-rescue, but one remained caught in the rip and was being swept out to sea. Once of the swimmers requested a bystander call 111. 

The swimmer―a 17-year-old girl in serious distress― was safely brought to shore by the SAR squad, after the Police Eagle helicopter was able to throw a floatation device to her and kept its spotlight on her.  

Bethells Beach Surf Life Saving Patrol Vice President and SAR squad member Dan Harvey, was part of the response.  

“It was serendipitous that just one week earlier we had performed a low light search and rescue scenario on this these conditions, so our squad was primed and had the confidence to perform what was really a textbook response,” he says. 

“It was pretty seamless, you can’t get much better in terms of rescue,” says Dan Harvey. But without the police flotation device being dropped it would be a completely different scenario―the girl would likely have drowned. Even with it, she was in serious trouble, given she was already hypothermic by the time we reached her.” 

Surf Life Saving Northern Region General Manager Zac Franich says that no one should be entering the water at a surf beach in such a scenario. 

“We strongly recommend people exercise common sense. That means always swimming between the flags. If a beach is unpatrolled, or patrol has finished for the day, don’t risk your life by entering the water.” 

Over the weekend volunteer surf lifeguards across the motu spent 3,558 hours keeping beaches safe.  

Weekend Patrol Stats: 

Northern Region:  

On Saturday, Orewa had high beach user numbers due to the Northern Region All In Carnival.  

Eastern Region:  

On Saturday Mt Maunganui had a busy start to their morning with a person suffering a dislocated knee, who was taken by ambulance. They then dealt with a search for a missing 62 year old woman who failed to turn up at a meeting point around the Mt with her friend. She was found safe and well and they continued on their walk.  

At Omanu an aluminium boat ran aground just north of the club. The vessel contacted Coastguard and the job was handed over to them.  

Central Region: 

Southern Region: