Three people have been rescued from a rip at Pukehina Beach in the Bay of Plenty this afternoon.
A Fire Communications spokesman said fire crews had been called to the beach, east of Te Puke, but were stood down after all three swimmers were rescued from 100m out to sea.
They were being checked on the shore.
At the same beach last summer, two Auckland boys aged 10 and 12 were pulled from the ocean by their father and another beach-goer, while the previous summer, two other boys were rescued after a large wave swept the younger child out to sea.
Over the 2011-12 year, Pukehina lifeguards made 23 rescues, treated 18 people for first aid and made nearly 1000 safety interventions.
