An off-duty policeman helped rescue two struggling surfers at St Clair this week.
Constable Dean Rogers was surfing with a colleague at the popular surfing spot on Thursday morning, when the pair heard two surfers calling and waving for assistance.
In the strong northerly swell, the inexperienced surfers from Stewart Island had been caught in a rip and 2m swells several hundred metres from the shore shortly after 10am.
While his colleague went to raise the alarm, Const Rogers paddled towards the men, who were visibly exhausted, including one who could no longer lift his arms to paddle.
The experienced surfer took off his leg rope and gave it to the exhausted man to hold as he towed him and directed his mate to the safety of Second Beach, to the west of St Clair.
"He was pretty [tired]," he said.
The men, who were in their 20s, had been on a surfing trip to Dunedin via the Catlins and were grateful for the assistance, he said.
Despite the rescue, it was still back to work that day for the heroic constable, who was presented with a six-pack of beer from the appreciative surfers.
