At about 3.20pm today Emergency services including Police, Fire and Ambulance responded to a report of an 8 year old Mosgiel boy who had been caught in a rip off Westwood beach near Ocean View, Dunedin. His mother had entered the water to assist and had also got into difficulty.
Upon emergency services arrival the pair had managed to get back to shore unaided after initially being dragged out approximately 200 metres.
The alarm was raised by a horse trainer working on the beach who spotted the pair in trouble and promptly called 111.
The boy was transported to Dunedin Public Hospital by ambulance as a precaution after swallowing water and suffering from exhaustion.
Sergeant Jared KIRK of Dunedin Police says “Police would like to remind the public that due to the change of season Dunedin beaches are no longer patrolled by life guards, and to use extreme caution if entering the water due to very strong and changeable rips, which are prevalent on many of Otago’s beaches.”
ENDS