Two men were critically injured yesterday evening at the Olympic Pool in Newmarket, Auckland. Photo / Jason Dorday
Two men were critically injured yesterday evening at the Olympic Pool in Newmarket, Auckland. Photo / Jason Dorday
The rescuer who pulled two “motionless” men from an Auckland pool has described the moment he realised something was wrong.
Champion swimmer Joel Crampton told Newshub he initially thought the men were practising free diving techniques.
The pair are in critical condition in Auckland City Hospital after yesterday’s incident.
Crampton said when he first saw the men under the water it “looked like they knew what they were doing”, so he left them to it and did a couple of lengths.
“Then, they were still down there not moving, at which point the lifeguard was a bit concerned as well.
“So, I swam down to see if they were responsive and they weren’t, so I pulled them both up and they weren’t talking or breathing very well,” he told Newshub.
“It wasn’t nice, pulling a limp body up from the bottom of the pool. I’m glad I was there and able to do it.
“Another 20-30 seconds and they probably wouldn’t have made it.”
The Herald understands the men were holding their breath when the incident happened.
Newmarket Olympic Pool director Peter Rust told the Herald the pool is sometimes used for practice by stunt performers or free divers but people who attempt this are stopped by lifeguards.
He would not confirm if the two men - who were taken to hospital in critical condition - were practising free diving.
Rust said the two men were spotted by a member of the public who alerted the lifeguards around 7.30pm at the Olympic Pools & Fitness Centre.
He said they were motionless under the water at the deep end of the pool.
Rust said a doctor who was using the facilities helped lifeguards retrieve and resuscitate the pair.
“Ambulance officers took over and were able to take both men to hospital in a conscious but critical condition.”
Two men were critically injured yesterday evening at the Olympic Pool in Newmarket, Auckland. Photo / Jason Dorday
Rust said he was impressed by how fast emergency services arrived at the scene, including ambulance, police, and fire.
He said he had not received an update on their conditions.
Rust thanked the doctor for their assistance and offered his sympathies to the families involved.
“The management and staff of The Olympic offer our deepest sympathies to the family of the two men and hope they recover fully.
“Olympic staff carried out their usual lifeguarding duties throughout the day and immediately before this incident.”
He said police completed a full investigation last night and deemed the pool safe to swim at today. When the Herald visited the pool this morning, many families and swimmers were enjoying the water.
A Hato Hone St John spokesperson said it sent two ambulances, two rapid response vehicles and an operations manager to the scene.
“Two people were taken to Auckland Hospital in a critical condition.”
Principal pools and leisure specialist at Auckland Council, Garth Dawson, said the council has offered its support to the pool centre as they investigate the incident.
“Our thoughts are with the two men and their families and we wish them a speedy recovery,” Dawson said in a statement.
“We would like to thank the Olympic staff for the way they handled the emergency and acknowledge the incident would have been traumatic for staff and patrons at the site. We would also like to thank the emergency services who attended this incident and the members of the public who assisted.”
Auckland Council owns the pool site at Newmarket and it is leased to The Olympic Pools and Fitness Centre.
A WorkSafe spokesman also confirmed they had been notified and were making inquiries, though had not opened an investigation at this time.
