League hero's biggest save

By PAUL YANDALL

Former New Zealand Rugby League coach Bob Bailey has had his share of physical battles, but his rescue of a young girl caught in a rip was as tough as any.

The coach of the Kiwis side in 1990-91 was enjoying a day at the beach at Whangamata on Saturday before he saved a 6-year-old girl being pulled out to sea on her boogie board by a rip.

When he reached the girl, he realised he might have swum a few strokes too far.

"I got all the way out there and thought, God, what am I doing here?" he said.

Mr Bailey, aged 61, was walking along the beach when he saw the girl's family waving and yelling.

"I don't think either the mother or father could swim because they were just screaming."

Without thinking, Mr Bailey dived into the surf after the girl.

"I could never live with myself if she had slipped away. I got right in there."

He was carried by the rip about 150m out to the girl who was by then barely clinging to her board.

"She was only seconds from going under. She couldn't hold on for much longer," he said.

He grabbed the girl and began pushing her towards the beach.

"It was tough work. I think [her parents] must have told her to always kick on the board because she kept kicking me in the face."

Just when he was starting to flag his brother, Roger, reached him and towed the girl in.

Mr Bailey, who said he was a fair swimmer, reached the shore exhausted.

"My eyes were popping. I felt sick. I just lay down. It was hard work. I went straight to sleep, I was so exhausted."

He said the girl later came to thank him.

A witness to the incident, Tony Williams, said he saw the girl's family yelling for help, and Mr Bailey come to the rescue.

"He came back absolutely stuffed. I was a bit worried. He was a real hero."

Whangamata lifeguard Matt Birdsall said a couple of rips along the beach were particularly hazardous as the tide went out.

Young children on boogie boards were becoming a problem as they would often drift out to sea, and were not strong enough to paddle back.

"The smaller kids can't get their arms in front to paddle, and really need flippers on their feet to help."