Far North family nearly drown at Coopers Beach, teen grateful to swimmer who saved her

Bonnie Parrish (right) thanks her rescuer Rob Higham for saving her life after she nearly drowned at Coopers Beach last week.

A local family “cheated death” after they nearly drowned at a popular Far North swimming spot, only to be rescued by one “courageous” swimmer.

“We all thought we would die,” said Bonnie Parrish, who survived the near-drowning experience with her mum and her younger brother at Coopers Beach last week.

Parrish, who turns 17 this February, remembers enjoying a family outing during an afternoon on January 24, until strong currents dragged the family away from the shore.

“We were talking and playing around in the waves when a big wave swept us out and got us caught in a rip. It then pulled us apart in opposite directions.”

While her 13-year-old brother Noah helped their mum keep afloat in one spot, Parrish kept drifting away.

Her mother, who felt helpless, screamed for help.

“That’s when I see this guy in his late 40s swimming towards me. He asked me to lie on my back, held my chin and kept me afloat,” Parrish said.

Despite the presence of many beachgoers, none felt confident enough to lend some support.

As she and her rescuer, Rob Higham, braved the strong currents, the teen couldn’t help but feel stressed-out.

“I was the one crying and screaming, all while my rescuer encouraged me to keep calm. But he didn’t hide the fact that he felt scared and wasn’t sure if we would make it ashore,” Parrish revealed.

She recalled passing out several times due to exhaustion and shock. And when they finally reached ashore, she had to “cough out a lot of water”.

Her mum and her brother had safely made it out of the water minutes before the teen.

Parrish said her rescuer and his family went off after checking on the wellbeing of her family.

After their distressing ordeal, the family drove to a local hospital where they ensured they were not displaying any symptoms of “secondary drowning”.

While the medical reports turned out to be fine, their bodies remained sore for a few days.

“My dad, who was at work that day, felt guilty for not being there when it happened,” Parrish said.

After her mother posted an elaborate “thank you” message on social media, her rescuer’s family the Highams contacted her mum and arranged to meet up.

“Yesterday we met Rob at his place for lunch. And it felt good to offer our thanks in person finally, since he was the only person on the beach who risked his life to help me and my family.”

Parrish said it was only at his place that she learned Rob’s family had not intended to go to Coopers Beach that day, because they usually went to Taipa to swim at Taipa.

“In fact, his eldest son Josh begged his parents to visit the beach because he had a ‘feeling’. I’m just glad they did,” she said.

Figures provided by Water Safety New Zealand show that Aotearoa had 90 deaths due to drowning last year. Five of these occurred in Northland and that is considered a relatively positive result after 18 people drowned in 2022.

Parrish said her heart goes out to anyone who has lost a loved one due to drowning and her experience had made her realise water safety must be taken seriously.

She also felt the warning signs at every beach should be displayed in a way that captures the attention of any beachgoer or swimmer.

“Doing so will only ensure better safety and no loss of life,” she said.

Avneesh Vincent is the crime and emergency services reporter at the Advocate. He was previously at the Gisborne Herald as the arts and environment reporter and is passionate about covering stories that can make a difference. He joined NZME in July 2023.