The death of a freediver in the Far North has sparked a prompt from water watchdogs to stick to the rules around the coastline.
Under alert level 4, all water-based activities are prohibited to keep people safe and prevent any search and rescue emergency personnel from exposure to Covid.
The 63-year-old man and three friends were freediving for seafood near Waipoua, on the west coast of Dargaville, around 3pm on Wednesday.
The man and a friend entered the water, believed to be around the Waimamakau River area, while their third companion stayed ashore.
The friend returned to shore and grew concerned when he realised the man, who had health problems, had not returned from his dive.