Teenagers close to disaster after binge-drinking at beach

Two teenage girls had to be rescued after going swimming in Auckland following a drinking binge and two days without food.

Bethells Beach lifeguards rushed to the 18-year-olds' aid about 5pm on Friday after seeing one of them collapse in waist-deep water.

Patrol captain James Lea said lifeguards arrived to find the teenager in "a bad state".

She was having extreme difficulty breathing, was disoriented and vomiting and had an altered level of consciousness.

Mr Lea said the woman was carried up to the beach and treated with oxygen until help arrived.

While she was being treated the second teenager started feeling unwell and having difficulty breathing.

She was suffering from mild hypothermia, vomiting and also had a decreased level of consciousness.

Mr Lea said that after talking to friends of the teens they discovered that the one who collapsed had not eaten for a couple of days. Both had also spent the afternoon drinking heavily at the beach.

The women were flown to Waitakere Hospital by the Westpac Rescue Helicopter.

Mr Lea said the beach and alcohol were a dangerous mix.

"If you add not eating to the mix you have all the ingredients for a disaster," he said. "Those girls were lucky that we were there or things could have been much worse."

The rest of the weekend was relatively quiet for lifeguards in the northern region, despite the fine weather.

Spokesman Brendan Evans said a 3pm head-count yesterday placed more than 10,000 people at the 17 beaches in the northern region.

Lifeguards preformed just over 2100 early interventions - measures aimed at warning people before they get into difficulty - and 18 rescues.