Teen missing after lake jump

Police and friends at the site where a 16-year-old boy failed to surface after jumping into Lake Pupuke on Auckland's North Shore today. Photo / NZPA

A teenager is missing after jumping into a lake in Takapuna on Auckland's North Shore this afternoon.

Police say the 16-year-old boy was part of a youth programme involved in an organised outdoor activity at Lake Pupuke.

Members of the programme had been diving into Quarry Lake, a lagoon formed in a former quarry area near Smales Quarry, from a point near Shea Tce.

The youth dived into the lake at about 2.40pm and disappeared below the surface, say police.

He resurfaced briefly before disappearing again, after which emergency services were called.

Police and fire officers failed to find the youth.

Takapuna Fire Service Senior Station Officer Shaun Pilgrim said staff were assisting police with their search this afternoon but could not find any trace of the missing teenager.

The police dive squad has now been called up from Wellington. Police divers will start searching the lake tonight, as long as conditions are safe, say police.

Another teenager was transported to hospital this afternoon with minor back injuries after a lake jump at Pupuke, but authorities believe the incidents are not related.

Lake Pupuke has been a popular spot for lake jumps among teens for years.

A number of swimmers have drowned in the lake over the years, including a 20-year-old Onehunga man who died in Lake Quarry on New Year's Day 2004 and a 20-year-old Mt Albert man who died in the deeper Lake Pupuke on New Year's Day of 2008.

In September, the now dissolved Takapuna Community Board approved the use of a motorboat on Quarry Lake to rescue lake users who got into trouble. However, the board refuted suggestions that past deaths had been due to the lack of a rescue craft.