Surf victim caught by Raglan rip

Police say it might take days to contact relatives of a man who drowned at Raglan on Christmas Day.

Senior Sergeant Pete Simpson, of Hamilton, said his family was believed to be overseas.

The man and a companion were caught in a rip off Waikato's west coast on Saturday night.

The two, both Asians aged about 25, went into the water about 6.50pm.

The rip pulled them 300m offshore. A member of the public dragged one of the men ashore and lifeguards found the second 20 minutes later but he could not be revived.

The first swimmer was taken to Waikato Hospital suffering from hypothermia.

Surf Lifesaving New Zealand chief executive Steve Johns said the drowning, which happened after life guards had finished patrolling the beach, was a warning to swimmers.

"If the red and yellow patrol flags are not on the beach, don't go swimming. Those west coast beaches are some of the most dangerous in the world and it can take only a matter of minutes for tragedy to happen."

Mr Johns said the number of Asians dying in New Zealand waters was increasing, against a drop in drownings overall.

He said efforts had been made to educate migrants about dangers. Water safety pamphlets had been produced in a number of languages.

Water Safety New Zealand executive director Alan Muir said the number of Asian drownings had continued to increase since the late 1980s. "They appear to be a group that are not at home in the water."

He said 12 Asians drowned in New Zealand this year - including three children suspected of drowning in an accident in Awakino Gorge at the weekend - up from six last year.

The trend was concerning, he said, but Maori were the most at-risk group, with 23 per cent of total drownings this year, up on 22 per cent last year.

Mr Muir said drownings for the year continued to decline overall, and credited colder water temperatures for one of the lowest December totals in more than 20 years.

The toll so far this year - 104 - was the lowest since compilation of figures started in 1980.

Water dangers

* There have been 104 drownings to date this year (including three children drowned in a van in Awakino Gorge), down from 109 last year and continuing a decline on the average of 130 for the past five years.

* Men aged 18-35 are the adult group most at risk.

* In the past five years 28 people have drowned, on average, during the holiday period (Christmas Eve to the end of January).