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West Auckland beach goers are urged to keep safety in mind, after a disastrous week with six major incidents.
Searches are underway for a missing fisherman in O’Neill’s Bay, near Bethells Beach on Auckland’s west coast. Source: rnz.co.nz
One person has drowned and the search for a missing rock fisherman entered its fifth day yesterday at Bethells Beach.
Surf Life Saving Northern region chief Matt Williams said people should keep children close to them, be careful when on rocks near water, and make sure to wear a life jacket if fishing from rocks.
He said that people should treat going to the beach in the same way as going to the mountains: checking the weather and preparing with the right gear.
“Treat the beach like a trip to Mount Ruapehu or Mount Taranaki … let’s lose that laissez faire culture where we’re just going to go to the beach and dive in,” he said.
“Check the weather, check that your team is okay, plan your day and start thinking about the future to go to the beach. We want you to enjoy it, but we want you to enjoy it safely.”
Yesterday, the Bethells Emergency Call Squad was alerted to three people who were washed into the sea on O’Neill Beach, north of Bethells.
The call was for the same spot where a fisherman was dragged off the rocks on Monday. The fisherman’s search continues.
Bethells lifeguards arrived at the scene in 15 minutes.
By then, the three people – a 45-year-old woman, a 16-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy – were back on shore, but the woman and child were losing consciousness and showing signs of exhaustion and shock. .
First responders administered oxygen and provided first aid until the Westpac rescue helicopter arrived and transported the woman to hospital.
The boy had improved enough to be taken back to the Bethells surf club for St. John’s paramedics to treat him.
