A hypothermic surfer was plucked to safety in “complete darkness” after getting caught in a rip and drifting 1.5km off West Auckland’s Piha Beach. Photo / Surf Life Saving New Zealand
A hypothermic surfer was plucked to safety in “complete darkness” after getting caught in a rip and drifting 1.5km off West Auckland’s Piha Beach. Photo / Surf Life Saving New Zealand
The mother of a hypothermic surfer who was plucked from the water off a West Auckland beach says it was a miracle her son was found in such conditions.
Price said her son’s two friends had been teaching him some surfing skills when the water began to change and they decided to return to shore.
The two friends safely made it back to the beach; however, the pair lost sight of her son and realised he was still in the water.
“He just got caught in a rip near Lion Rock somewhere and was off to sea very quickly,” she said.
About 8pm on Tuesday, police said a man reported his brother was missing north of Lion Rock off Piha Beach after becoming caught in a large rip. Photo / NZ Police
The pair, along with her youngest son, frantically searched for lifeguards at both North and South Piha clubs before calling the police.
“They called 111 and the lifeguards turned up very fast,” Price said.
Her youngest son leapt on the back of a lifeguard’s ATV and was searching the water for her son stuck in the water.
Senior Sergeant Garry Larsen, officer in charge of Maritime, Air Support and Search and Rescue, said the Maritime Unit alerted Eagle, who arrived quickly to search for the missing surfer. Two inflatable rescue boats (IRBs) from the Piha Surf Lifesaving Club were also launched.
Light faded fast. The IRBs were forced back to shore to wait on standby as weather conditions deteriorated, he said.
A hypothermic surfer was rescued from “complete darkness” after getting caught in a rip and drifting 1.5km off West Auckland’s Piha Beach.
Photo / Surf Life Saving New Zealand
“Just after 9pm, and in complete darkness, Eagle located a person around 1.5 kilometres offshore waving for assistance.”
Eagle “lit him up in the water” with search lights, allowing the IRBs to launch again.
“The crew quickly collected him and made it back to the beach in complete darkness.
“Along with it being pitch black, the crew faced two to three metre-high waves, making this an outstanding rescue effort by them.”
He said the surfer showed signs of hypothermia and was treated by medical professionals at the beach.
“The actions of Eagle and the IRB crews in the water unquestionably saved this young man’s life.
Multiple agencies scrambled to rescue the 21-year-old man who had become caught in a rip and drifted nearly 1.5km north of Lion Rock on Piha Beach.
Photo / Surf Life Saving New Zealand
“This was a great example of teamwork to carry out this rescue, under less than ideal conditions in the dark and bad weather.”
Price found out what had happened when her youngest son called her.
“He was calm. I thought maybe he had crashed a car on his way back from the beach,” she said.
“The first thing he said was ‘He’s okay’. But when he started mentioning things like helicopters and lifeguards, I got in my car and left.”
Price drove to Waitakere Hospital and found her son still cold and shaking, but his temperature was slowly rising.
Price said it was a “miracle” rescue crews found her oldest son in the water.
“I’m so grateful. He wouldn’t have lasted much longer,” she said.
“His temperature was unreadable, the paramedics told me. It was less than 34C.”
Surf Life Saving New Zealand (SLSNZ) said it commended the “exceptional teamwork and quick response” of volunteer lifeguards who carried out a “dramatic” after-hours rescue of the 21-year-old man.
The man was returned safely to shore, cold and hypothermic but conscious, where he was given initial treatment by surf lifeguards before being transported by ambulance at 10.30pm.
He has since been discharged from hospital.
“Executing an offshore rescue in the dark, after hours, is complex. It takes careful planning, cool heads and exceptional capability. The Piha surf lifeguards once again demonstrated why they are among the best skilled and experienced responders on our coastline,” SLSNZ’s general manager of lifesaving, Andy Kent, said.
“This rescue shows the strength of collaboration between police and our surf lifeguards. The Eagle helicopter’s spotlight made the difference on a night when visibility was extremely limited. The outcome is a testament to the volunteers’ skill.”
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