On Saturday, the chopper was sent to Kariotahi after a man in his 20s suffered a possible spinal injury after diving into a 2 metre body of water, hitting his head on the bottom.
Pilot Paul Robinson said intensive care flight paramedic, Ross Aitken, was winched down to the scene to assess the patient, who was in the care of lifeguards.
Robinson said he then hovered the helicopter at a height of about 10m to 15m when Aitken and the patient were ready to be winched back up.
He said conditions were bearable for the rescue with a strong onshore breeze. He said they ended up having to winch as there was nowhere near to the victim where they could safely land.
The injured man was pulled unconscious from the water by people nearby.
After loading the pair into the chopper they flew to the nearby Kariotahi Surf Club, south of Auckland, to stabilise the patient before heading off to Middlemore Hospital where he was left in a serious but stable condition.
Meanwhile, in Waiheke yesterday, a man - also in his 20s - was airlifted by the Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopter crew in a serious condition after the tractor he was driving jack-knifed and rolled, trapping him underneath.
The man had been driving the tractor/mower and towing a trailer when it jack-knifed and rolled, with the trailer bar hitting him and trapping him for about 20 minutes.
St John Ambulance crews helped free the man before meeting the chopper crew at nearby Surfdale School.
He was then assessed and given pain relief, before being flown to Auckland City Hospital.
