A Hawke's Bay police officer dumped his uniform and gear in the sand at a remote beach, grabbing a boogie board to rescue a teen being pulled out to sea by a rip.
Officers were called to Pourerere Beach, more than an hour’s drive south of Hastings, at 2.04pm on Tuesday.
The caller said their cousin appeared to be stuck in a rip while boogie boarding and was pulled about 50m away from shore.
Constable Nyge Walker, one of the first officers to arrive, ditched his vest and uniform on the shore and grabbed a boogie board, diving into the water.
“There was a highly distinctive rip running about 70-degree angle from the shore. It was highlighted with sand that it was taking," Walker said.
“When I got to her, she wasn’t in a state to paddle, so I towed her toward shore until she could touch the bottom and safely walk out of the water,” he said.
The relieved boogie-boarder was taken to a medical centre to be assessed before being dropped home safely.
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