Massin Burnand, 12, Johan Cullison, 12, and Dom Hutton, 13, helped save a man and his daughter from drowning at Papamoa. Photo / John Borren
Massin Burnand, 12, Johan Cullison, 12, and Dom Hutton, 13, helped save a man and his daughter from drowning at Papamoa. Photo / John Borren
Three young Papamoa boys have been heralded as heroes after helping save the lives of a kayaker and his daughter who were being pulled out to sea by a rip after their kayak flipped in waves.
Johan Cullison, 12, said he and friends Massin Burnand , 12, and Dom Hutton, 13, had been walking up sand dunes towards Papamoa beach just after lunch on Sunday when they saw the kayak flip in surf near Grant Place, about 4km from Papamoa Surf Lifesaving Club.
He just said 'you saved my life, thank you'.
A man, who the boys believed to be in his 50s, and his daughter, believed to be 18, had been thrown into the ocean and were swiftly being pulled out to sea by a rip, said the boys.
"At first we were like 'oh look that kayak flipped', then we saw the people and they weren't okay. I ran out there with my surfboard," said Johan.
Johan made a beeline for the man, who was not wearing a lifejacket. Johan reached the man, who was already struggling to breathe and stay afloat, about 40m from shore.
"It was a bit scary because he was going purple. He was coughing a lot," Johan said.
Johan helped the man grab the rear of his board and together they paddled back to the beach but Johan was not sure if the man would be able to hold on for long.
"Until I could touch the ground, I was scared," he said.
Meanwhile, Massin flagged down a passing runner who swam out to rescue the man's daughter, who was wearing a life jacket but was still caught in the rip.
Dom, who had been in the Scouts with Johan, waited knee-deep in the water, ready to help.
The passer-by retrieved the kayak and helped bring the daughter to shore.
The man re-united with his daughter at the beach and expressed his gratitude at Johan's actions.
"He just said 'you saved my life, thank you'," Johan said.
Somebody could not be spending Christmas with their family right now. He said he wasn't going to last much longer.
Members from the Papamoa Surf Lifesaving Club arrived shortly after and helped treat the man and daughter, who were not taken to hospital.
Johan's mum Sjouk Cullison said she thought the boys were pulling a prank on her when they returned home.
"His friend said 'your son is a legend, he saved a man from drowning', I thought 'oh yep' and just carried on but my son was looking quite tired and a bit dazed. I said 'did you really?' and they started telling me the story," she said.
"I'm super proud. That's really brave. It could have turned out quite different but I'm really proud of them.
"The way they handled it, including one realising he was not a strong swimmer and asking someone else, I think they did a really good job.
"Somebody could not be spending Christmas with their family right now. He said he wasn't going to last much longer."
Mrs Cullison said the boys were heroes.
Massin's mother Lisa Burnand said he knew how to keep calm in stressful situations and she was proud of this thoughtfulness.
"I'm glad he didn't put himself at risk."
Papamoa Surf Lifesaving Club captain Shaun Smith said sea conditions were not especially bad on Sunday but rips had become particularly dangerous along the stretch of beach recently.
He said the man should have been wearing a lifejacket.
