Northland Police have had a busy afternoon with several people getting into difficulty on or near the water.
Events began about 1pm with a call to police about a young girl who had a seizure while swimming at Oke Bay. Initial reports were that someone was having a heart attack, but inquiries established that it was a five-year-old girl.
Some off-duty police officers were fishing on a boat in the bay and heard about the incident. One of the officers swam into the beach to help, but the Coastguard was already there performing CPR on the girl.
Dehydration is believed to be the cause of her seizure and she was airlifted by helicopter to Whangarei Hospital.
Soon after that a woman snorkelling at Tauranga Bay got into difficulties due to dehydration. She lost consciousness briefly and a police officer in the area attended that incident. Fortunately the woman was fine and did not require medical attention.
At the same time a man fell off a cliff at Tauranga Bay and members of the public with assistance from police managed to get him on a kayak, which took him to a nearby boat. The boat then transported him to a waiting ambulance at the Whangaroa Marina. The man received a broken wrist and ankle and had cuts and bruises.
Following that incident police received reports that a 25-year-old man, who was snorkelling off rocks at the eastern end of Cable Bay, had failed to return. His disappearance was reported to police about 3pm after he hadn’t been seen for about three hours and his catch bag had washed ashore.
Police have called the Dive Squad and a plane is currently flying around the area to see if it can locate the diver and two coastguard boats are searching the water. Police Search and Rescue and family members of the man are also scouring the shore for any signs of the missing man.
Far North Area Commander Inspector Wendy Robilliard says this afternoon’s incidents are taking a considerable of coordination with a lot of police resources needed to help people that have got into difficulty.
“The District Command Centre has been in full action making sure that we have been across all the incidents that have been happening and that we have enough staff in the areas to assist these people. Fortunately we had some off-duty officers to help with one of the incidents.”
Ms Robilliard says there have been a few tragedies in the water in Northland this summer and police want to remind people to take care and keep an eye on each other when in or near the water.
“We are experiencing hot dry weather, which can lead to dehydration and sun stroke. These can cause people to make poor decisions or fall ill. Sea conditions can also change quickly and people need to know their physical limits when swimming.
Ms Robilliard says people should report any incidents of concern to police as early as possible.
“Unfortunately we have a man who went snorkelling and was not reported missing until three hours after he went into the water. People also need to let others know where they are going and when they expect to return.”
Ms Robilliard says it has been a very busy afternoon for the Far North Police staff and she would like to thank them for their efforts in helping those who got into difficult situations. She would also like to thank members of the public who have been assisting police.
For media inquiries contact Northland Police Communications Manager Sarah Kennett on 09 945 4650 or 021 192 1099.