Tauranga men use fishing rod to rescue diver
NZPA | Monday, 5 February 2007
A group of people faced down pounding waves to rescue an exhausted diver who was being smashed against the rocks near Tauranga yesterday.
A 35-year-old Taupo man was trapped in strong waves on the Northwestern side of Mauao (Mt Maunganui), the Bay of Plenty Times reported.
He was being picked up, slammed into the rocks, then taken back out to sea, when Tauranga men Jxxx Pxxx, 23, and Bxxx Wxxxx, 25, saw him. The men were hailed by a group of people on the seashore, calling for help.
Unsure of what to do, Mr Pxxx used his fishing line to cast out some 4kg braid line to the exhausted, bruised diver. The diver wrapped the line around his fingers, and the fisherman began reeling him in.
The line snapped when the diver was about 10 metres from shore, Mr Pxxx said. However, a big wave swept him close enough for Mr Wxxxx to grab his wrist. Both men were swept into the sea.
Battling to stay above the waves, the pair were swept close enough for the people on the rocks to grab them and pull them to safety.
"It was a team effort in the end with about four to five people helping lift him up to safety and then someone started doing CPR on him and one of the lifeguards was giving him oxygen," Mr Pxxx said.
"I went out fishing for the big one and usually I only catch rocks but this time I caught a guy instead," he said.
The diver was in a moderate but stable condition in Tauranga Hospital.
Two other people were taken to hospital with cuts and grazes, including a 27-year-old man who made the first attempt to rescue the man.
NZPA | Monday, 5 February 2007
A group of people faced down pounding waves to rescue an exhausted diver who was being smashed against the rocks near Tauranga yesterday.
A 35-year-old Taupo man was trapped in strong waves on the Northwestern side of Mauao (Mt Maunganui), the Bay of Plenty Times reported.
He was being picked up, slammed into the rocks, then taken back out to sea, when Tauranga men Jxxx Pxxx, 23, and Bxxx Wxxxx, 25, saw him. The men were hailed by a group of people on the seashore, calling for help.
Unsure of what to do, Mr Pxxx used his fishing line to cast out some 4kg braid line to the exhausted, bruised diver. The diver wrapped the line around his fingers, and the fisherman began reeling him in.
The line snapped when the diver was about 10 metres from shore, Mr Pxxx said. However, a big wave swept him close enough for Mr Wxxxx to grab his wrist. Both men were swept into the sea.
Battling to stay above the waves, the pair were swept close enough for the people on the rocks to grab them and pull them to safety.
"It was a team effort in the end with about four to five people helping lift him up to safety and then someone started doing CPR on him and one of the lifeguards was giving him oxygen," Mr Pxxx said.
"I went out fishing for the big one and usually I only catch rocks but this time I caught a guy instead," he said.
The diver was in a moderate but stable condition in Tauranga Hospital.
Two other people were taken to hospital with cuts and grazes, including a 27-year-old man who made the first attempt to rescue the man.
Honey I caught one THIS BIG
