The experience of a Dunedin man who made it to shore in a remote part of the Catlins after an ill-advised swim should serve as a warning to others, a police search and rescue co-ordinator says.
A rescue operation was launched after police were called for help at 1.40am yesterday. The man had been caught in the outgoing current in the Waikawa Harbour channel.
Search and rescue co-ordinator Sergeant Ian Martin said the man, in his 20s, had been drinking with his mates before going swimming in the harbour.
He managed to swim ashore on the opposite side of the harbour, before crossing farmland in Progress Valley.
He walked 6km before finding a house and contacting emergency services just before 3.30am. The man’s friends had encouraged him to swim to a moored yacht.
It was "very lucky this story didn’t have a different outcome", Sgt Martin said.
"It is never a good idea to go swimming in unfamiliar water, particularly at night and especially not if you have been drinking. Excessive drinking can affect your decision-making — it’s important that everyone takes responsibility for keeping themselves safe," he said.
The search and rescue operation included the Waikawa Rural Fire Brigade, commercial fishers and a helicopter.