Couple who helped save drowning woman rewarded with community support

Alex Hunter, 18, and Amelia Mitchell, 17, are glad they were in the right place to save Potoz Morunga Rudolph at Pātaua, and are thankful for donations to get their boat repaired.

A young couple who helped save a free-diver from fatally drowning at Pātaua last month have received community donations to help get their boat repaired.

Potoz Morunga Rudolph suffered from low oxygen and water on the lungs from the incident on January 13, which started when her weight belt slipped from her waist and got caught on the knife strapped to her ankle.

While being pulled down by the weight belt, Morunga Rudolph also got stuck between the tide rapidly coming out of Pātaua Estuary and the waves crashing on Pātaua Bar.

But the Auckland mother-of-five was saved by a young couple in their inflatable dingy: 17-year-old Amelia Mitchell from Whakapara and 18-year-old Alex Hunter from Mangapai.

The pair happened to be returning to the Pātaua South boat ramp after a morning’s fishing when they were alerted to Morunga Rudolph’s struggles, with Mitchell grabbing the arms of the flailing diver, who was purple by this stage.

“Help me, I don’t want to die,” were the first words Morunga Rudolph remembers saying to Mitchell.

The two women held onto each other for about 10 minutes until another boat and more people arrived to help get the diver aboard.

However, with the extra person on board, Mitchell and Hunter were unable to power through the strong outgoing tide and ended up hitting a rock with their propeller.

With the help of more bystanders, they were able to push the boat into a safe area and Morunga Rudolph was helicoptered to Whangārei Hospital for further care.

While the diver made a full recovery, Hunter’s inflatable dingy ended up with $1500 worth of damage to the motor and propeller.

However, the couple will not be left out of pocket for their kind deed.

Mitchell said a bystander donated $500 to help with the repair costs and a Givealittle page has raised more than $1000 in just three days.

Potoz Morunga Rudolph is thankful to her rescuers but wants to warn of the dangers of Pātaua, after her near-fatal drowning at the edge of Patāua Bar. Photo / John Stone (inset supplied)

Mitchell said the support is great.

“It’s more than I thought there would be: Everyone helped out on the day,” she said.

Hunter also thought the pair just did what any Kiwi boater would do in the same situation.

The young couple plan to meet up with Morunga Rudolph this weekend, after the Northern Advocate put the free-diver in touch with her rescuers.

Denise Piper is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on health and business. She has more than 20 years in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.