A man has drowned at Manu Bay in Raglan, despite an off-duty surf lifeguard’s frantic efforts to resuscitate him this morning.

A group of surfers first noticed a man unresponsive in the water just after 9am. They paddled over to him and tried to get him to shore, Surf Life Saving New Zealand said.

A local lifeguard was watching a live camera-feed while he was off duty and noticed “something unusual” when he saw the group on the footage.

He went to the beach and helped the group get the unresponsive man onto some rocks. He gave the man CPR.

St John Ambulance then arrived with a defibrillator. More surf lifeguards came, with Fire And Emergency New Zealand crews.

“Sadly, the man was unable to be resuscitated,” Surf Life Saving New Zealand said.

“[Our] thoughts are with the [man’s] friends and whānau during this difficult time.”