A dramatic rescue in Auckland, which saw a Whangarei Heads-based lifeguard leap from a helicopter into the raging ocean to save a surfer, has been named the rescue of the year at the Surf Life Saving NZ Awards of Excellence.
The awards, held in Wellington on Saturday, saw the BPRescue of the Year awarded to the Muriwai club and Surf Life Saving Northern Region for the daring rescue of a surfer stuck in the caves near the Gannet Colony on September 29, last year.
Tai Kahn, who works at Surf Life Saving's Northern Region office in Auckland but is based at Whangarei Heads Surf Life Saving Club at Ocean Beach, was one of five guards who took part in the rescue, which earlier this year won the rescue of the year award at SLS Northern Region surf awards.
Mr Kahn jumped from a helicopter into the raging sea to rescue the man who was in difficulty and getting dashed against rocks off Muriwai after being called from the Surf Life Saving Northern Region office that day when the incident alarm sounded.
Meanwhile, Muriwai lifeguards Peter Baltus, Lincoln Baltus, Tane Moore and Mark Goodhew also responded. Mr Baltus jumped off Flat Rock into the churning water and found the teenage surfer clinging to a boulder. The rescue helicopter hovered above and dropped Mr Kahn into the water. The first attempt to get the patient on to the rock face failed and just as Mr Kahn was about to explain to the patient that he would need to jump towards him, a large set of waves rolled through. Mr Kahn quickly secured him in a rescue tube, swimming him towards the rocks. Back on land, the patient was assessed by the medic and then flown to Auckland Hospital.
Surf Life Saving New Zealand CEO Paul Dalton said it's very difficult to choose one rescue over another as the actions of all the finalists have been incredibly heroic, but the Muriwai rescue won out.
Safety, excellence, courage and respect are values that have led surf lifeguards to save over 1300 lives in the last season and the awards on Saturday were to officially recognise their efforts.
Also on Saturday, was the BP Media Award for best surf lifesaving story which went to TVNZ Breakfast and Seven Sharp's combined coverage of the Muriwai rescue.
