Horror 48 hours on water in Coromandel as police confirm another fatal water-related incident near Coroglen

A man has died in a water-related incident near Coroglen. Photo / File

A man has died in a water-related incident in the Coromandel region less than a day after a man drowned and died at Opoutere Beach.

Emergency services responded to the latest incident around 2.30am today on Tairua Whitianga Rd near Coroglen.

“Our thoughts are with his loved ones at this sad time,” said a police spokesperson.

The man’s death will be referred to the coroner.

St John said they responded to the incident with one ambulance.

This is the third water-related incident to have occurred across eastern Coromandel in the past 48 hours.

Yesterday, a group of seven got into trouble in “very rough” surf at Opoutere Beach.

One person died as a result of the incident and a teenager is still missing in the water at the beach north of Whangamatā.

Six people, out of a group of seven were seen waving their arms for help in the water before they were pulled from the ocean but one person “was unable to be revived”, police said.

The search continues for the missing person, a police spokesperson said, and a fixed-wing plane was deployed to help the effort.

One person has died and a search is underway for another person missing after the water incident at Opoutere Beach near Whangamatā. Photo / Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust

A St John Ambulance spokesperson said three helicopters and three ambulances went to the scene.

One of the group was airlifted to hospital in a critical condition after emergency services launched a massive response at 11.27am yesterday. Another was taken to Thames Hospital , in a moderate condition and three other people were in a minor condition.

On Tuesday a man went missing in the water in Whangamatā.

A police spokesperson said emergency services responded to a report of a man missing near the estuary, shortly after 6pm.

A rescue helicopter found him but he was unable to be revived.

Water Safety NZ CEO Daniel Gerrard says the drownings in the Coromandel over the past couple of day’s have been a tragedy.

“I guess it’s nice weather, [the sun’s] out and people are just wanting to get out and enjoy the environment that we live in, but it’s about managing the risk and having the knowledge and skills to keep yourself and your family sort of safe,” he said.

Gerrard said unpatrolled beaches need more signage to warn beachgoers of potential dangers.

He also said rescue equipment such as rescue tubes or even flippers should be left at unpatrolled beaches so public members could use them if needed.

“The family’s situation could have been far worse if there hadn’t been that number of skilled, aware and knowledgeable people on the beach,” Gerrard said speaking of the Opoutere tragedy.

Desperate attempts to rescue family at Opoutere Beach

Holidaymakers described their desperate efforts to save a family caught in the emergency at Opoutere yesterday.

Kathy Le Haavre was on holiday and showing Tony Brooks a beach she was familiar with from her childhood when the pair spotted a man being dragged out to sea.

“We said, ‘oh God, let’s go’ and we just ran [to help],” Le Haavre told the Herald.

Le Haavre, a nurse, spent half an hour giving the man CPR before paramedics arrived on the scene but he was later confirmed to have died.

“On a little beach like that, there was a woman I knew, a doctor, and two other nurses.”

Brooks, who has worked on a rescue helicopter and is a former surf lifesaver, also helped resuscitate a teenage boy and empty his lungs of water.

“It’s always a great relief when the first spew comes out. He improved slowly as the minutes went on,” Brooks said.

“He was unresponsive, but then I saw some eye movement, then some hand movement, and then he could breathe on his own.”

Emergency crews respond to a major water incident at Opoutere Beach. Photo / Supplied

He said he and two other people gave the boy CPR and compressions.

“Ultimately, we got him back pretty quickly, in about two or three minutes.”

The teenage boy was airlifted to Waikato Hospital in a critical condition.

Both Brooks and Le Haavre believed the group was a family as they comforted a woman on the beach who they understood was the dead man’s wife.

“To lose her husband in front of her eyes and to know her son [still missing] hadn’t come in must be really tough.

“She had her whole family there. Her son lost his dad.” Brooks said.

“Can you imagine the heartache?”

The pair spoke to the Herald while they were driving home and Le Haarve said she was still running on adrenaline.

“It’s a tragedy and absolutely awful what’s happened,” she said.

Brooks said: “’Hero’ is not ... a term I would use, just a committed bunch of people with different skills who chipped in.

“They risked their lives in that surf. It was really big out the back. The message I want to come through is: well done to those who helped.”

Le Haavre and Brooks said the surf was “very rough”.