Wanted: Mystery woman who saved drowning boy

The Onerahi jetty. Photo / Northern Advocate

A mystery woman leapt into the sea on the Onerahi waterfront to save the life of a small boy who was floating face down, unmoving and being carried into deeper water on the outgoing tide.

The woman and her male companion had been driving along the foreshore when she spotted the boy, aged 6 or 7, near the bottom of Pah Rd at about 12.45pm on Saturday. She leapt into the sea, swam to him and dragged his motionless body to shore.

Minutes later, a second saviour drove past and saw a small group of people crowded around the child's body on the foreshore.

Annette Robertson, a trained nurse, said she saw "little feet" sticking up out of a blanket and a body that was not moving.

She immediately started working on the child, whom she said was "freezing, hypothermic and on the periphery of shutting down".

The barely conscious boy was unable to respond to voices or instructions and was having trouble breathing, she said.

"If the woman hadn't got that child out of the water, within a minute he would have been dead. They did all the right things. I just kept him breathing until the ambulance arrived."

Now Ms Robertson is kicking herself for not getting the name of the woman who saved the boy's life before she left the scene.

"There are some very good people out there who deserve recognition for what they do. That woman saved this boy's life, that is certain."

When the boy was brought ashore, onlookers thought he was dead until he took his first choking breath, Ms Robertson said.

By the time an ambulance arrived he was vomiting and slightly more alert.

The boy's mother, who lives nearby, had also arrived by then.

Northland St John operations manager Tony Devanney said the boy was in a serious condition when admitted to Whangarei Hospital. "The passers-by did a good job. Any action, especially by trained people like nurses, is invaluable for good outcomes like this."

The boy stayed in hospital for observation and was allowed home on Monday night.

Do you know the woman who leapt into the sea to save a drowning boy at Onerahi on Saturday? Then let us know phone (09) 470-2875 or email reporters@northernadvocate.co.nz.