Northland heroes' action plan saves lives of divers stuck on rocks

From left, Far North Rescue vice-president Tony Walker, his son Anthony, club captain Thom Anderson and his wife, lifeguard Kate Clarke. Photo/Mike Dinsdale

With 3m swells and a raging ocean, Far North Surf Rescue lifeguard Anthony Walker and club captain Thom Anderson didn't hesitate when the call was made to dive into the swirling sea to rescue divers stuck on rocks.

Anthony Walker, his father and club vice-president Tony Walker, Mr Anderson and his wife, lifeguard Kate Clarke were the last chance to save the two divers in fading light on Thursday.

Atrocious conditions had prevented the Northland Rescue Helicopter, police, Search and Rescue volunteers and Coastguard from getting to the two men, who had been on the rocks for more than five hours.

The alarm was raised at 4.45pm that two divers were trapped on rocks under the cliff west of Tapotupotu Bay, and the Ahipara surf rescue team got the call about 6pm.

Within five minutes the four had hooked up two inflatable rigid boats (IRB) and headed out on the 125km trip from Ahipara to Tapotupotu Bay, just east of Cape Reinga.

They launched the IRB in the lagoon, crossed the sandbar and punched through the swell to get out; Mr Anderson the driver and Anthony Walker the '"swimmer" who would go into the water first to get to the divers.

Mr Walker said they got to about 100m from the pair on the rocks.

"There was a pretty big chop out there. I wasn't really [scared]. It was an adrenalin rush really."

He swam to the rocks and went though a gut to get to the men - with one current pulling him under and another pushing him onto the rocks.

"It was surging in and out, but I was just focused on getting the patient out. They had been there for more than five hours at that stage so we were pretty keen to get them out."

He strapped a lifesaving tube around the younger of the two men and they jumped into the water to swim to the IRB.

"I just kept telling him he would be okay and that if he swam at the same pace as me he would be fine and we'd make it back okay," Mr Walker said.

When he got the man into the IRB he and Mr Anderson swapped places, the club captain then going into the swirling sea to rescue the second diver.

"He was a little bit panicky when I got to him so I just tried to keep him calm and we cracked a few jokes and I told him he'd be okay," Mr Anderson said.

The crew do not see themselves as heroes, just people doing their job to help their community.

"We were okay though, we had our lifejackets on so we weren't in that much danger," Mr Walker said.

Ms Clarke was carrying out the rescue logistics from land and said it was a mix of excitement and fear for her - excitement at watching the rescue unfold and fear for her husband carrying it out in the churning sea.

Anthony Walker and Mr Anderson were fairly relaxed about their heroics, saying it was just part of the job.

Tony Walker said this was what the lifeguards trained for and with the efforts of Department of Conservation staff, Police, Coastguard and others, the rescue was a great example of a community working together.

But he was in no doubt how the lifeguards' efforts had prevented a tragedy.

"It was about five minutes away from darkness when they got them back to the beach so it was really a twilight rescue. It was damn scary out there and the conditions were right on the edge," he said.

"We were the last line of defence really and I'm just so proud of the team, they did a fantastic job.