Surfer gets out himself

A police officer speaks to witness Ray Green after a tourist was caught in a rip at St Clair...
A police officer speaks to witness Ray Green after a tourist was caught in a rip at St Clair Beach about noon yesterday. PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSON
A Canadian tourist had a lucky escape after being caught in a rip at St Clair Beach yesterday.

Ray Green alerted emergency services to the distressed tourist about 12.15pm after seeing the man caught in a rip.

``He was in the s... when we saw him - totally,'' he said.

``He was screaming and yelling and waving his arms and doing everything that people do when they are in trouble.

``He was in trouble.''

Mr Green ran to the St Clair Surf Life Saving Club to raise the alarm, but after finding it empty, called 111.

The man had been surfing with a friend before the incident, he said.

Police asked Mr Green to return to the beach to report whether the man was still in distress. However, when he went back he found the Canadian out of the water.

``I don't know how he got out,'' he said.

A police spokeswoman said the Canadian tourist managed to get himself out of the water after being caught in the rip. An ambulance called was stood down when police established the surfer was unhurt.

timothy.brown@odt.co.nz

Comments

Police responded, determined the bloke wasn't in trouble and then called off the ambulance before it got there.

Just how poor is the Ambulance response time? Lucky there wasn't actually a patient.

 

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