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The drowning of a fitness instructor in chest-deep water on Sunday afternoon has baffled Foxton police and rescue workers.
Senior Constable Ross Brannigan said Marumihi Te Ngohi Katene, 30, was fit, strong and a competent swimmer. He was swimming at the beach with his eight-year-old daughter about 4.45pm when he got into difficulty. The pair were just outside the lifeguard flags in reasonably shallow water, about chest deep.
Mr Katene's daughter swam back to shore and told her mother, who raised the alarm.
A rescue operation involving police, surf club, coastguard staff and the Square Trust Helicopter was launched. Mr Katene's body was found an hour later near the shore about 300m from where he was last seen.
Mr Brannigan said why the strong swimmer got into trouble was a mystery. "The water was like a mill pond, there was no wind, it was extremely calm," he said.
"There are a few holes around but, with no rip or under-current, they shouldn't be a problem.
"You see people swimming out there in all kinds of weather and you cringe, but in conditions like that you just don't expect it. It's a real tragedy."
Police were waiting on autopsy results to see if Mr Katene had suffered some sort of medical condition.
Mr Brannigan praised Mr Katene's young daughter, calling her a brave little girl and "fantastic".
- NZPA
