Two-metre-high swells are believed to have swept a fisherman off the rocks to his death on West Auckland’s Anawhata Beach.

Those who took part in the difficult rescue are being praised for the way they managed to recover the man in treacherous sea conditions and failing light.

An emergency services spokesperson said they responded to the water-related incident at 6.47pm on Monday.

Surf Lifesaving New Zealand operations manager James Lea said Piha surf lifeguards were called out close to dusk, which was “not ideal”.

MetService recorded two-metre-high waves on Auckland’s west coast yesterday afternoon and evening. Photo / Doug Sherring

Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopter and the police Eagle helicopter were also called to help find the missing fisherman.

Lea said that, when the lifeguards arrived at the beach, the man was unresponsive and not breathing.

“I believe the Eagle helicopter located the person in the water first and guided surf lifesavers to retrieve the patient.

“They pulled the patient back into the boat and headed back to the beach.”

It was the second fatality recorded at Piha in the past month.

A person drowned on September 22 in a water-related incident and, despite attempts, the person could not be revived.

MetService said the forecast on Auckland’s west coast yesterday afternoon saw southwesterly swells of two metres.

“On an outgoing tide, the waves are going to break and surge up against the rocks quite hard,” Lea said.

He said the victim wasn’t wearing a lifejacket and, “in those kinds of waters, it is going to be very hard to stay afloat”.
This weekend marked the beginning of surf patrols at beaches across the country.

Lea said the rescue was outside patrol times and outside patrol areas, and the rescuers worked in difficult conditions.

“It took a pair of highly skilled individuals to head out there in those conditions, with the little light they had.

“They assessed the conditions very well, executed the pick-up of the deceased very well, and managed to make it back with light.”

Steve Fisher, chief executive of Surf Life Saving New Zealand, said a death at a beach affected not just the surf lifeguards involved but reverberated throughout the entire surf lifesaving community.

“This highlights the importance of ensuring you have all the correct safety equipment, in particular, a lifejacket, and that you check the forecast conditions – if in doubt, stay out.”

Fisher predicted before the weekend began that this season would be “busy”.

“Our beaches across the country are getting busier, earlier.

“We want to make sure we are available to provide support to beachgoers so that they can enjoy our country’s beautiful coastlines safely.”