Lifeguards save drowning man

Quick-thinking lifeguards at a Porirua pool brought a dead man back to life last week after he was found floating face down in the water.

The man, in his 70s, was taken to Wellington Hospital after a brush with death on Wednesday morning.

Four lifeguards at the Arena Aquatic Centre attached to Te Rauparaha Arena found the man floating face down in the main pool about 10am.

Lifeguard Seth Forbes, 19, earned his stripes on Paekakariki Beach and said his training ‘‘clicked in to place’’ as he performed CPR on the man for eight minutes.

The gravity of what he had done did not kick in until about five hours later.

‘‘It felt pretty weird to see him come back to life but it felt pretty good too,’’ he said.

The team rescued him from the water and checked his vital signs but found he was already dead, Wellington Free Ambulance spokesman Daniel Paul said.

The ambulance was called while CPR was performed on the lifeless man. They managed to restore his pulse and he was picked up by ambulance staff, who hooked him into breathing support and rushed him to hospital.

The lifeguards had managed to revive the man thanks to their CPR efforts, Mr Paul said.

Arena manager Willy Taurima said the rescue was ‘‘very emotional and dramatic’’ but the lifeguards stayed composed and returned to their posts when the pool reopened half an hour later.