A jet ski trip turned to tragedy when a father of three was killed in rough seas along New Zealand's coast, north of Christchurch.
The 45-year-old went to the mouth of the Waimakariri River with his older brother and a friend about 10am on Sunday with plans to jet ski down the coast to New Brighton.
But the man fell off his jet ski as the trio was heading out through rough, white-capped surf, says Sergeant Colin Stewart, of Rangiora police.
"His brother and friend both cleared the bar and then noticed the other man was in the water, injured but still conscious," the officer said.
"The brother went to help him but in the big waves he couldn't get the man on to his jet ski, so he made the decision to jump in himself and pull his brother to shore."
The man lost consciousness during the 50-metre swim to the beach and could not be resuscitated despite the efforts of his brother and others on the beach.
The dead man was a father of three adult children and a local from Pines Beach, near Kaiapoi.
The men were experienced jet skiers and had been wearing life jackets but not wetsuits.
Sgt Collins said the incident was a warning to other boaties to dress for cold conditions before getting on the water this winter.
"It's very cold in the water at the moment and I would say the cold was one of the factors the could have contributed to the outcome of this incident," he said.
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