A naked Frenchman should have drowned. Somehow he lived to hug me
Freezing, exhausted and having accepted death. The look on his face is one I won't forget.
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Latest fromSurf Life Saving
Youth group leader's impossible call – her own survival or the 10yo she was saving
Woman trying to save drowning boy forced to make one of the hardest decisions of her life.
'Someone was swept out and I felt sick': Lifeguards open up about west coast patrols
"I heard someone had got swept out and I felt sick. I almost went back to vomit."
Saving lives for 86 years: The guardians of the beaches
From line and reel to IRBS - the Surf Lifesaving NZ history.
Lifejackets save boaties after their boat crashes off a sandbar near Pukehina Coast
"They were extremely lucky".
Boy, 12, saves men from rip at the Mount: 'He just kept a level head'
Freddie Mitchell saved two people from a rip at the Mount.
Revealed: The real cost of saving lives at NZ's beaches
Lifeguards pay membership fees and for their own uniforms so they can save lives
'No one is stronger than a rip': How to spot one and what to do
And what to do when you get stuck.
Beach rescue terror: 'I was screaming... I nearly died'
Renae Samson and her partner nearly drowned after ignoring warnings from lifeguards.
10 things that could save your life at the beach this summer
16 people died at the beach last summer, some of whom ignored basic safety rules.
'I started to freak out': What happens when you're caught in a rip
Another couple of minutes after trio caught in a rip may not have survived.
'In less than 10 minutes he would have drowned'
Lifeguard Jimmy Kendrick speaks of saving three lives in one rescue in West Auckland.
Four saved in dramatic Maketū water rescue
"I had a quick look out the window and could see four heads floating."
Why do so many people die at our beaches?
People don't have enough respect for the sea and the result is often deadly.
Fight to save drowned woman's life: 'He did CPR for half an hour'
Tragedy played out over VHF radio.
Our grim toll: Drowning deaths reach four in three days
The water is incredibly inviting and incredibly unforgiving, water safety boss says.
Water safety urged after yacht rescue of pair without radio
The pair were sailing along remote South Island coastline without a Marine VHS radio.
Person rescued from Mount Maunganui beach
One person experienced difficulty in the water near Marine Parade.
Saving lives: Cost breakdown for vital surf life saving gear
Surf Live Saving clubs have to pay for everything from band-aids to bodybags.
How many lives did lifeguards save at your beach last summer?
Search our interactive graphic to see how many rescues your club carried out last summer.
Surf rescue: 'I thought she was gone'
Chaz Gibbons-Campbell desperately searched underwater for girl he was trying to save.
It costs a young lifeguard $50 each time she goes on weekend patrol
Lifeguard knows the dangers all too well after nearly being swept away as a child.
Between The Flags: Draevyn Joyce plucked from the waves
Focus: 12-year-old Draevyn Joyce, who cannot swim, is lucky to be alive after two strangers rescued him after he was swept out to sea at Himitangi Beach. Video / Mark Mitchell
Unfunded lifeguards need your help to save lives this summer
It's costing volunteers lifeguards personally to keep us safe at the beach.
Man caught in rip dies in Coromandel in the season's third tragic water death
Dramatic attempts to revive the man were unsuccessful.
Christmas Day water chaos: Sharks, orca sightings close Auckland beaches
Several paddleboarders reported seeing 2m-long shark close to shore.
'We can't be there 24/7': Heartbreak in Christmas beach tragedy
A man crabbing and a snorkeller have died in the water on Christmas Day.
Water tragedy: Second Christmas Day drowning in Northland
A person has drowned near Lake Taharoa in what is the second Christmas Day water death.
'Do not swim' warning: Shark sighted at Orewa Beach
Swimmers urged to avoid Orewa, Red and Hatfields Beaches after shark sighting.
17yo abandons ironman race to save man stuck on rocks
Cayleen Bester's life saving instincts kicked in when she spotted a man stuck on rocks.
Swept down a river and out to sea: 'She is a lady with a great will to live'
Woman walked out of surf hours later and 10km away. Her son, 6, had walked 2km for help
Piha lifeguard training turns real after fisherman swept off rocks
The lifeguards managed to save the fisherman's life at Piha on Sunday morning.
'I thought I was too late': Off-duty lifeguard rescues woman, boy
Wanting to go for a boogie board, he ended up saving two stranded swimmers.