Bay of Plenty surf lifesaver Flynn Weatherall saves woman and two children from rip

A young lifeguard rescued a girl after she and two family members were swept off a sandbank into a rip at Arataki.

The section of beach is unpatrolled but lifeguards roam the area on hour intervals from the Omanu surf club base.

Lifeguard Flynn Weatherall, 17, was waved down in the area by a member of the public while he was checking the area who alerted him to three people who appeared to be caught in a rip at 1.30pm on Sunday.

The mother and two children, aged about 10 and 13, had got caught in a rip which “happened pretty fast”, Weatherall said.

He decided to do a welfare check and took a tube and fins into the water.

Surf lifesaver Flynn Weatherall, 17, saved a woman and her two children from a rip on Sunday. Photo / Alex Cairns

“Then the mother and youngest daughter had stood up on a sand bank and got back to shore but the [eldest] daughter started getting into difficulty.”

“I swam out and clipped around [her] with my tube.”

“From what I gathered they were standing on the sandbank and then kind of got swept off into [the rip].”

Surf lifesaver Flynn Weatherall, 17, saved a woman and her two children from a rip on Sunday. Photo / Alex Cairns

He gave the child first aid and suggested they go to the doctor to be checked.

The family were “pretty thankful” but “pretty scared, pretty shocked,” Weatherall said.

His advice for swimmers this summer was to swim at a beach patrolled by lifeguards and to “know your limits” in the water.

“Danger Rips!” sign at Shark Alley Mount Maunganui Main beach. Photo / Alex Cairns

The rescue came after “gnarly” sea conditions resulted in dislocated limbs and multiple other rescues in the Bay of Plenty region during the weekend.

Surf Life Saving NZ (SLSNZ) eastern manager Chaz Gibbons-Campbell said he was proud of Weatherall’s quick actions.

“It’s so cool to see these young people putting their training to use.”

He said the team arrived on the scene at the right time and assisted the family to safety.

Surf Life Saving New Zealand eastern region lifesaving manager Chaz Gibbons-Campbell. Photo / Alex Cairns

“[Waves] will easily sweep people off their feet and if parents aren’t keeping a close eye on their children ...[it] can happen pretty quickly.”

If parents or guardians were not confident swimmers themselves he suggested visiting a sheltered beach such as Pilot Bay.

“[I’ve done] 14 years as a lifeguard and some days it’s really hard to spot [rips].”

He advised swimmers to use the beach when it was patrolled by lifeguards.

However, if a beachgoer spotted someone in trouble and a lifeguard was not in the area they should phone 111.

How to stay safe in the water:

• Know how to float
• Find the safest place to swim
• If in doubt, stay out
• Take care of others
• Know how to get help.

Source: Surf Lifesaving New Zealand

Michaela Pointon is an NZME reporter based in the Bay of Plenty and was formerly a feature writer.