Editorial: We need more heroes

More people are needed to volunteer for surf life saving. Photo/Thinkstock

When I arrived at the beach I knew something was wrong.

Around a dozen people were standing on the dunes near the carpark at Matapouri Beach, a couple had binoculars with them, and all of them were quiet.

I had been at Woolley's Bay on Saturday as Matapouri was too rough for me to swim.

But on my way back to town that afternoon I called in to Matapouri to get one more look at the freak waves. Instead I found myself watching while two men on surfboards ploughed through the surf to reach a tiny head bobbing in the waves beside one of the sea buoys.

A Whangarei police officer had been in the water for about half an hour before two rescuers reached him.

Then began the sickening journey through the open ocean that was full of king tide currents and rips. At times they wouldn't move for minutes, and all of us watching were urging them on: "Come on guys, keep going."

The men were desperately kicking and paddling but not going anywhere against the rip.

It was lucky that Tikipunga High School PE teacher Jason Woods knows Matapouri Beach and exactly where the rips were strongest. He knew the best way out of the sea for the group.

French tourist Anthony Guyot acted immediately too, joining Mr Woods and paddling out on a surfboard he found on the beach.

We had feared the efforts were in vain and the rip would take them all out to sea.

They dug it in and people burst into applause when they made it safely to shore.

Surf Lifesavers from Whangarei Heads patrolled Matapouri Beach, one of Northland's most popular beaches, in 2008 and 2009.

However, locals are needed to volunteer for the service to continue operating. The men who headed into the ocean to reach the man in trouble were heroes and were fearless in conditions that terrified me.

This lack of volunteers has left the beach unpatrolled except for the odd weekend when there are enough lifeguards to spare.

We need more heroes.