A drowning at Waihi has prompted a police warning of the dangers of setting nets in rough seas.
The warning comes after a Tongan man, here on a work visa, was swept out to sea at Waihi Beach on Saturday.
Tuiniua Tauatevalue, 22, who was living in Katikati,
had been trying to retrieve a net.
The incident was witnessed by family members, but Mr Tauatevalue's name was made public only yesterday after his father was told of his death.
Sergeant Steve Hindmarsh of Waihi said the surf was rough and had been for three days when the 22-year-old went into the water to get the net.
"It's not really a good idea to be wandering out in the surf when it's heavy," Mr Hindmarsh said.
"Trying to get a net is not really worth risking your life for."
The depth of the water Mr Tauatevalue was standing in when he was swept away was unknown, but Mr Hindmarsh said it was common for holes to open up in the surf line at Waihi when the beach had been pounded by waves.
"It's very easy to just step into a hole, then you get swept out," Mr Hindmarsh said. "You get lots of rips.
"It would've been pretty dangerous, really."
There was no indication alcohol was a factor in the drowning, but Waihi was a popular place for people to set nets and they needed to be aware of the dangers of big surf.
"The more surf there is, the more chance there's going to be rips and holes, and especially if that surf has been going for a few days," Mr Hindmarsh said.
However, he stressed that the danger was not just at Waihi, but at beaches all along both coasts. On the east coast, rough seas were caused by easterlies, and on the west, westerlies.
