Surf lifesavers have helped save the life of a fisherman swept off the rocks into two metre swells off Auckland's west coast this afternoon.
The rescue occurred at O'Neill's Bay near Bethells Beach just after 1pm. Photo: Supplied/ Bethells Beach Surf Club
They say a member of the public managed to throw him a nearby "angel ring" and the fisherman was wearing an ill-fitting lifejacket which probably saved his life.
The rescue occurred at O'Neill's Bay near Bethells Beach just after 1pm.
The police Eagle helicopter dropped a swimmer into the water who helped the man return to shore.
Lifeguards from Bethells Beach Surf Club Search and Rescue Squad then transported the man back to the club's first-aid room to be treated for hypothermia, before he was flown to hospital by Westpac helicopter.
One of the lifeguards who responded to the incident said conditions were challenging.
"There are two metre swells rolling through today and rough conditions because of the onshore winds," Surf Life Saving Northern Region lifesaving operations manager James Lea said.
"The man's lifejacket undoubtedly made a difference in this situation. We had the exact same incident this time last year with a fisher swept off the rocks at O'Neill's. He wasn't wearing a lifejacket and our SAR Squads ended up recovering his body a few days after he went missing."
Lea said it's vital people use lifejackets that fit, however, as today patient's lifejacket ended up coming off in the water.
"While it was still useful as a flotation device, by the time the rescuers arrived he was pretty exhausted. It was the combination of the lifejacket and the angel ring that helped keep him afloat long enough to be rescued."
Today's incident was a good reminder that fishing from the rocks is dangerous and not currently allowed under the alert level 3 restrictions in Auckland, Lea said.
However, if people spotted someone in the water in trouble no matetr where they were in the country they should ring 111 and ask for police.
Some of the lifeguards who were involved in the rescue. Photo: Supplied / Bethells Beach Surf Club
