The man was located as he was being pulled by the tide about a kilometre from the coast.
“It wasn’t clear if the man was even alive, he wasn’t moving and his body heat was minimal but, thankfully, there were small signs of life when they put the spotlight on him and called out over the PA”, Larsen said.
An Eagle helicopter kept an eye on the man and helped guide the Auckland Maritime Unit to him, a team which Sergeant Craig Kennedy was a part of.
He said the kayaker could “barely move or talk” when he helped pull him from the water at 4.40 am.
The “seriously hypothermic” man was taken to the Te Atatu Boat club to be seen by advanced paramedics, and then on to hospital.
He was in a serious condition, with Kennedy noting his life had been saved by the speed of the rescue and the life jacket keeping him afloat.
“When you’re responding to those circumstances, it’s not often that you get a positive outcome like this”, Kennedy said.
“He’s a very lucky guy, it was a cold night – about 6 degrees – and he was in the water for a very long time.”
Senior Sergeant Larsen said everyone who had been part of the rescue effort “should be proud”.
“Everybody kicked into action to save this guy’s life, and we even had the Northland Rescue Helicopter on the way in case we needed to widen the search.”
The other kayaker was also taken to hospital in a moderate condition.