The Waiwhakaiho river mouth where the paddleboarder got into trouble after injuring himself. File photo Photo: Land Air Water Aotearoa
Surfer Simon Martin who rescued a paddleboarder with a broken pelvis says he was in a lot of pain and would have struggled to get ashore by himself.
Martin probably saved his friend's life while they were surfing by a reef off the Waiwhakaiho river in Taranaki on Sunday morning.
The men were in the river mouth, which often has large swells and can be difficult to navigate, Martin said.
Martin was enjoying the waves when he saw his friend struggling in the water after tumbling from his stand-up paddle board.
While conditions weren't "super rough" they were testing and he proved to be "Johnny on the spot" to carry out a rescue.
His friend had suffered a broken pelvis by accidentally doing the splits.
"Probably the finer details of the manoeuvre he was trying to achieve didn't come together," Martin told Morning Report.
"We've got to look after one another" - Surfer Simon Martin
His friend was about 30 metres away and called out to him. When Martin reached him the injured man said he had been struggling for some time and he was in "heaps of pain."
"'I can't move. I'm lucky to be on my board', he said."
The man had tried to paddle back, but only managed to move in circles, he said.
"He was struggling to get to shore, he said he'd been trying for quite some time and not making any progress," Martin explained.
"We're older gentlemen in the surf I guess so we've got to look after one another."
Once they got back to shore Martin dragged him up the beach and he then crossed the river to call for help.
It took about for an hour and a half for help to arrive (in the form of emergency services and a rescue helicopter) but once his friend was stable on the beach "he was able to manage the pain".
He was taken by helicopter to Taranaki Base Hospital with minor to moderate injuries. Martin had spoken to him via social media and he was "a bit blurry".
"I imagine he's taken a lot of painkillers."
Martin said he didn't hesitate to help - and hopes if he ever got in trouble, someone would help him too.
"I've pulled many people out of the water, young and old. I would like someone to do the same for me one day, if it ever happened."