The moment when a performance jetskier's stunt went horribly wrong has been captured on video -- by the man who helped save his life.
Rodney Thomsen had been taking part in the Tauranga Boat Expo, which was expected to showcase a performance display by Gate Pa trick jetskier Adrian De Villiers on Friday.
Mr De Villiers, 43, is a freestyle jetskier who is considered the only person in New Zealand able to do a back flip from flat water.
Mr Thomsen had been at the expo handing out copies of his hunting and fishing newspaper The Adventurer when he saw Mr De Villiers on his jetski in the water.
"I thought I'd get a Snapchat video and tried to get him doing the flip," he said.
"I'd managed to get the video and I was looking at my phone when people were yelling out that's he's hurt.
"I looked up and just saw him flat under the water with his face down."
Tairua-based Mr Thomsen jumped in the sea, still wearing his jeans, and swam the 40-50m to where Mr De Villiers floated face-down, motionless.
"I needed to get his head out of the water, so I grabbed the back of his lifejacket to pull his head up," Mr Thomsen said.
"As soon as I lifted his head and I saw his face, it didn't look good.
"That's when I began to panic. I'd realised he wasn't in a very good way -- just the look on his face.
"He was sort of going blue and looked like he was dying."
Mr Thomsen said there was blood coming from Mr De Villiers' head but he could not make out exactly where from.
Mr Thomsen said he struggled to keep the jetskier and himself above water.
"He was quite hard to hold. Once he came upright his body was going under."
Scott Parry from the Fishing and Adventure TV Show had also swum out and helped hold the injured man and Mr Thomsen above water until a Surf Lifesaving New Zealand boat arrived.
Mr Thomsen said his actions were what anyone else would have done, "or at least I hope it's what anyone else would have done if they were in the same situation".
Wife Debbie De Villiers said she very grateful for the actions of Mr Thomsen and Mr Parry, who she credits with saving her husband's life.
Mrs De Villiers said she was also nursing two injured children -- who each happened to hurt themselves on the same day as Mr De Villiers.
"Friday was Halloween ... and my 8-year-old fell and hit his head at school and has a banged up ear and my 3-year-old fell and broke his leg.
"Friday, I don't know what happened, whether the stars aligned and just went nuts but now I have a 3-year-old shuffling around on his bum with a broken leg and and 8-year-old hurting and a hubby in hospital."
Mr De Villiers remained stable in a ward at Waikato Hospital last night.
"He sounds like he's okay, still a bit groggy and sore head but that's understandable.
"He's very aware of what's happened."
