A 17-year-old who drowned near Mt Maunganui in the weekend shared a love for the water with his family.
A rogue wave swept Hamish Rieger off rocks at Moturiki Island around 7pm on Saturday. His body was found yesterday after a 16-hour search.
Mr Rieger, a surf lifesaver, joined the Mt Maunganui surf club when he was five, and was a keen young water polo player, lifeguard Jamie Troughton told RadioLIVE.
His family are devastated at the loss," said Mr Troughton. Mr Rieger's father, Greg, was an experienced lifeguard, which "as hard as it is, it made it kind of easier for them" to navigate through the process, he said.
"As the incident went on the biggest thing was getting Hamish, and as horrible as the incident was, that was the best-case scenario [and] the family were overwhelmed with that."
With his passion for the water, Mr Rieger, took part in regional and national surf sport events.
“He had a real maturity about him,” said Mr Troughton.
He had been working at the beach earlier on the day before his death.
Mr Troughton said the events over the weekend proved even strong swimmers faced danger, and warns everyone to be "particularly vigilant" ahead of a big offshore swell which is expected to peak tomorrow.
A Givealittle page has been set up for Mr Rieger.
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