A 47-year-old Mahia woman drowned yesterday at Blue Bay, Opoutama, after she got into trouble trying to help her son who was swimming at the beach.
The drowning occurred at around 1.30pm yesterday. The woman was trying to help her son who was in difficulty in the water. An Australian couple and a local male recovered the woman from the water. CPR was commenced and Mahia emergency services continued to work on the woman but sadly she passed away.
The surf was approximately one meter high. The beach is usually safe and calm.
Police say the drowning is similar to an incident that happened last year at Whakaki where two males drowned after going in to rescue a young girl.
Police are urging anyone who attempts a rescue to make sure they have some form of flotation device, notify others of what they are doing and be confident in their own ability to attempt a rescue.
The woman's name has not yet been released.