Lifeguards save beached dolphin on Mount Maunganui beach, Waihī swimmer airlifted to hospital

Lifeguards in Mount Maunganui rescued a beached dolphin today in an incident described as “one out of the weird books”.

Eastern region Surf Lifesaving manager Chaz Gibbons-Campbell says it had been a scorching and busy day on Bay of Plenty and Coromandel beaches, with surf lifesavers also dealing with medical incidents and “tonnes of shark sightings” – some closing down busy beaches.

He said a pod of dolphins was swimming near Mount Maunganui’s Tay St patrolled area when “one juvenile got too excited and beached up on the sand”.

Surf lifesavers rushed over to turn the roughly 1-metre dolphin around and send it back to sea.

Gibbons-Campbell described the incident as “one for the weird books”. He said an expert had speculated to him the pod might have been chasing the large numbers of bait fish also thought to be a factor in frequent shark sightings close to shore in recent weeks.

He said the region’s lifeguards recorded another nine shark sightings today – adding to the 42 reported in the region over the past two weeks, prompting a warning to swimmers to be cautious.

He said all those seen today appeared to be bronze whalers unlikely to pose a risk to people, but some beaches were closed just in case.

Pukehina’s beach was closed for about two hours and Pāpāmoa East for about half an hour.

In Pāpāmoa this afternoon, a NZ Herald reader captured aerial photographs of a shark swimming about 20m from people near the beach.

Waihī swimmer airlifted to hospital

He said a swimmer was airlifted to hospital after collapsing on Waihī Beach between the flags due to an unknown medical event about 2.30pm.

The man “came out of the water not looking too good” and passed out, still breathing. Surf lifesavers provided first aid until paramedics took over and a rescue helicopter arrived to fly the man to Tauranga Hospital.

Later, in Whangamatā surf lifesavers helped a person with a dislocated shoulder while waiting for an ambulance to arrive.

Samantha Motion is a news director for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has reported in the wider region for more than a decade.