Holland saw a man in the water waving frantically for help. <\/p>\n
Realising the woman he\u2019d been trying to reach was in serious trouble, the man was signalling that he could not make it to her, Holland said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI ran up to the house, which is about 100m off the beach, grabbed the lifejackets off my boat, grabbed my surfboard and ran back down,\u201d Holland said.<\/p>\n
When he headed for the house, he estimated the swimmer was about 100m offshore. By the time he returned \u2013 two or three minutes later \u2013 she was almost 400m out.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could barely see her head,\u201d he said. \u201cEveryone was panicking, it was pretty crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dan Holland. Photo \/ Supplied.<\/p>\n
Despite briefly questioning whether it was safe to go into such a strong rip, the voices around him made the stakes clear. \u201cEveryone was saying: \u2018She\u2019s dying, someone\u2019s got to go\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
Holland left his son in the care of a friend, strapped on a lifejacket, secured another for the swimmer, and paddled out.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was quite an easy paddle \u2013 I only needed to duck-dive two waves,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cI got out there quickly because the rip was so strong.\u201d<\/p>\n
Surf lifeguards in an IRB at P\u0101p\u0101moa Beach. Photo \/ Jamie Troughton, Dscribe Media<\/p>\n
When he reached the woman, it was immediately obvious how dire her condition had become. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve never seen anything like it \u2013 her eyes had gone all milky, cloudy. I thought she was on the verge of dying.\u201d<\/p>\n
He held her on his surfboard and managed, with difficulty, to fasten the second lifejacket around her in the choppy water. She was cold, in deep shock and barely able to speak.<\/p>\n
Holland reassured her that help was coming, but the pair continued to drift. The rip was so wide that paddling out of it would have meant an 80m slog sideways \u2013 nearly impossible while supporting another person. Lifeguards later estimated they had reached about 500m offshore.<\/p>\n
Still, Holland remained calm. <\/p>\n
\u201cI said: \u2018We\u2019re sweet and floating. Whether I can get you in or not, there\u2019s someone coming to get us\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
Onshore, police had arrived, with the Aerocool Rescue Helicopter on standby due to the distance involved.<\/p>\n
P\u0101p\u0101moa lifeguards launched their Inflatable Rescue Boat (IRB), guided into position by lifeguard Poppy Crouch in the club\u2019s ATV.<\/p>\n
The beach near Coast Boulevard has a powerful rip. Photo \/ David Hall<\/p>\n
The IRB \u2013 crewed by patrol captain Marama Mateparae and lifeguard Sean Leach \u2013 appeared suddenly through the chop.<\/p>\n
\u201cOut of nowhere the IRB was 20m away,\u201d Holland said. \u201cSean did a good job, got her in real quick, and got me afterwards. As soon as she got in the boat, you could tell she was going to be all right.\u201d<\/p>\n
Surf Lifesaving NZ eastern region manager Chaz Gibbons-Campbell said the woman, a regular swimmer, had been caught by a powerful outgoing tide near FreshChoice on Coast Boulevard.<\/p>\n
\u201cA member of the public heard her yelling and tried to swim out but couldn\u2019t reach her,\u201d he said. \u201cDan put a lifejacket on her and stayed with her until help arrived, which was just awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n
Services Patrol Captain Marama Mateparae. Photo \/ Jamie Troughton, Dscribe Media<\/p>\n
Mateparae said the first swimmer made \u201ca fantastic judgement call\u201d in turning back when he realised the rip was too strong. <\/p>\n
By the time the IRB reached Holland and the woman \u201cthey were floating out, but they were safe and not going under\u201d.<\/p>\n
Holland said the woman, assessed by Hato Hone St John, later him she had only recently returned to swimming after winter and never imagined she might drown.<\/p>\n
\u201cI even feel bad because I waited like two minutes on the beach deciding whether to go,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n