Investigation after Piha swimmer Abhishek Arora becomes rare victim of patrolled beach drowning

Abhishek Arora went missing in a rip at Piha Beach on January 28. Composite photo / NZME

• An investigation is under way after Abhishek Arora, 25, drowned at a patrolled West Auckland beach.
• Arora and six others were caught in a rip; six were rescued, but Arora was not found.
• A review will be conducted by Surf Life Saving New Zealand.

Surf Lifesaving New Zealand has issued a stark warning after a man’s death at Piha Beach last week became a rare example of someone drowning while swimming between the flags.

Experts say the drowning of Abhishek Arora, 25, is at least the second in a “regularly patrolled area”.

Arora was swimming with friends at the West Auckland beach between the flags while lifeguards were on duty about 4pm last Tuesday when he and six others were caught in a rip.

The six were rescued and taken ashore, but Arora could not be found by lifeguards.

Police told Arora’s family in India they believed a body found at Bethells Beach, north of Piha, three days later was his.

Water Safety New Zealand said between 2015 and 2024, 186 people drowned while swimming in New Zealand.

It said in the same period, only one person drowned in a location “regularly patrolled by volunteer lifeguards in summer months”.

This was also at Piha in 2021.

“No other records in the past decade mention a close relationship with a patrolled area.”

Abhishek Arora was engaged to be married next month, family say, after the Aucklander hotel worker went missing after being caught in a rip at Piha on Tuesday. A body found on Bethells Beach yesterday is believed to be the 25-year-old.

Arora and the six others were in the water between the flags, Surf Life Saving New Zealand (SLSNZ) said.

“The swimmers were in the flagged area which meant surf lifeguards were watching and were able to rescue six out of the seven swimmers.”

Conditions at the time of the tragedy were rough, with a choppy 2.5m swell, gusting wind and low tide.

In 2023, SLSNZ said it had “never had a drowning between the flags”.

General manager Andy Kent told the Herald swimming between the flags was just one thing you can do to keep safe.

He said conditions on Auckland’s West Coast beaches “can change in an instant”.

People who were not confident swimmers should always reconsider swimming at these spots.

He said a review into the latest beach death would be carried out by the team, which was standard procedure for any drowning.

It was initially reported Arora was engaged, but while the relationship was serious, they were not about to get married, family friend Jessica Jason said.

“They had big plans together. That’s what breaks our heart when we heard the news, because they had plans of buying a house and all that stuff, so their dreams were big.”

Arora moved to Auckland eight years ago from the town of Ambala, 200km north of New Delhi.

His partner is originally from Sri Lanka, but her “whole family” is also in New Zealand, Jason said.

Rachel Maher is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. She has worked for the Herald since 2022.

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