Mt Maunganui drowning victim named

A Norwegian woman who died at Mt Maunganui after she was found face-down in the water has been publicly identified by police.

Vivian Fosse Telfar, 54, had been swimming at the beach with a group of family and friends when she got into trouble about 6pm on Saturday.

A surfer found her unresponsive with her face down in the water about 20 metres offshore.

She was pulled from the water near Sutherland Ave.

Ambulance and police officers attempted to revive her, but despite their best efforts she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said the matter had been referred to the coroner, who will determine the cause of death.

Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service chairman Paul Treanor said the death was a tragic reminder of the need to treat the ocean "with the utmost respect".

"We'd strongly encourage swimmers to stay within their limits and to take extra care when swimming on unpatrolled beaches, especially at the end of the day when they might be tired."

Shortly after the woman's death, a 16-year-old Hamilton boy was caught in a rip while swimming at the far end of the main beach.

Off-duty lifeguards Callum Knox and Andrew Roy had been on their way to help the woman, but noticed the boy's uncle waving to them as they drove past on a quad bike.

Mr Roy then swam out to help the boy back to shore.

"There was a lot of water moving out there - it only took about 30 seconds to swim a couple of hundred metres out to him but it took us a good few minutes to get back in," Mr Roy said.

"He was certainly pretty grateful we were able to help him out."

The incidents followed a busy day on the beach, with volunteer lifeguards helping to prevent potential incidents and giving aid to a 63-year-old woman who was airlifted off Mt Maunganui by helicopter and taken to hospital.

Regional lifeguards will continue patrolling Bay of Plenty beaches until Friday.

 

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