KEY POINTS:
A teenager has saved the lives of at least two girls and dragged a further three from heavy surf at Papamoa beach.
Nathan Smith, 15, from Papamoa, said he was coming into shore after a surf when he was told people were in danger in surf of up
to 3m swells.
"A guy ran over to me and said 'there's five people out there and they need help'," he said.
The rescue took place on Friday at 11.30am.
The girls were part of a larger group of up to 20 teenagers who were at the beach together when they got into trouble.
Off-duty lifeguard Nathan took his kneeboard into the rip that had snagged the five girls, all aged between 15 and 16, and quickly led three of them back into shore.
But two girls were still in trouble, and he returned and took a fourth semi-conscious girl into shore, before going back a third time to rescue the last, who was unconscious.
"One didn't have a clue what was happening until she got to the beach. The other one knew she was in trouble and was spluttering and yelling out 'I'm dead'," Nathan said.
When he had all five girls safely on the beach, Nathan ran to the Papamoa Surf Club to get oxygen for two of the girls.
They were taken to hospital but released that night.
Papamoa Surf Lifesaving club captain John Devery said it was clear to him what would have happened had Nathan not been there.
"There would have been at least two dead people on Friday if he hadn't been on his board," he said.
Mr Devery said it did not surprise him that Nathan acted so quickly and did such a good job - he did 192 hours of patrol time last season as a voluntary lifeguard.
"We're all just quietly impressed with him. It's nice that the young guys are out there doing it," he said. But Nathan is a reluctant hero.
"It's just like any normal day at the surf, that's what we're here for," he said.
He had been on an "adrenaline high" so he wasn't tired after going into the surf three times in 2m to 3m swells and bringing out the five people.
He was most impressed that he was thanked by two of the girls he saved - more often than not, he said, you didn't hear from them again.
It was the second dramatic rescue last week. On Thursday, surfers hauled an injured man from the sea at Mt Maunganui's Main Beach.
- Bay of Plenty Times