Northland man rescued from dangerous Whangārei Heads beach
15 Dec, 2020 04:24 AM
7 minutes to read
Aaron Marais credits his partner Felicity Bidgood for saving his life when she spotted him unconscious in rough surf at Ocean Beach. Photo / Tania Whyte
Multimedia journalist for the Northern Advocatekarina.cooper@nzme.co.nz
A Whangārei woman says she will never forget her partner s whispered first words, I love you , after she pulled his lifeless body from the surf at a notoriously dangerous Northland beach. A relaxing family outing turned into a terrifying ordeal when Felicity Bidgood, 32, dragged an unconscious Aaron Marais, 27, from rough waters at Ocean Beach in Whangārei Heads last Thursday.
The Northland Rescue Helicopter and Fire and Emergency New Zealand arrived about 20 minutes later, Swannix said. The man regained consciousness soon after. He was taken to a waiting ambulance, then driven to hospital to check for water inhalation, Swannix said. The man had gone into the water for a swim, but the waves had been deceptively strong, Swannix said. “He was being pushed over by the waves and then his partner noticed he was floating in the water face down. “This is the seventh major incident we’ve had here since October, resulting in eight lives being saved. Ocean Beach has been deceptively dangerous recently and I think it’s catching people out.”