A surfer who was seriously injured after a wave smashed him onto rocks at a remote beach on Auckland’s west coast has thanked the surf lifesavers who rescued him.
Ben Searancke was surfing by himself at Karekare Beach when he lost his board and was sent crashing onto nearby rocks before being swept onto Mercer Beach.
A leg injury made it impossible for Searancke to scale the cliffs which separated him from Karekare Beach to the south and Piha to his north.
The stranded surfer wrote "HELP" in large letters on the sand, reminiscent of scenes from a deserted island movie.
Two locals out for a walk spotted the plea and alerted surf lifesavers at Piha.
Surf lifesavers Kyran Gillespie and Blake Porteous then raced to his rescue, delivering him back to safety to get treatment for the gash in his leg.
“We found him laying on the ground with a big cut on his leg and lots of other cuts around his body, but he was quite alert and responsive,” Porteous told Seven Sharp.
Searancke is now on the mend at home with his wife and five-day-old baby girl.
Today, the lucky surfer sent a thank you message to Gillespie and Porteous for getting him home to his family.
He has one more surprise for the ladies as well, a giant “THANK U” written in the sand.
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