Coastguard rescues man in trouble in big waves at Napier beach

February 13, 2019

A man was pulled from the surf by Hawke's Bay coastguard last night after he was dragged about 150m from the shore by rough waves on Napier's Marine Parade.

The Coastguard posted a video of the rescue on its Facebook page which was shot by an onlooker on the beach.

The man had been swimming at the southern end of the beach and got into trouble, before a call for help was made about 5.45pm.

He was thrown a safety line, which he caught and was pulled to calmer water before being brought on board.

The man was checked by ambulance officers and was OK, despite being in the water for 40 minutes and swallowing a bit of sea water.

Surf Life Saving New Zealand on Monday  warned that unusually high swells are expected along the east coast of New Zealand this week due to a tropical cyclone in the north-eastern Pacific.

SLSNZ National Lifesaving manager, Allan Mundy said swells of up to three to four metres are hitting the eastern coastline this week and will affect the Bay of Plenty, Gisborne and Hawke's Bay.

Marine Parade is considered to be unsuitable for swimming in rough conditions.

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