Warrior's Star presumed drowned - Sonny Fai

[Kaz]

LATEST: Rising New Zealand Warriors star Sonny Fai is missing, presumed drowned, at Bethells Beach, West Auckland.

His agent Frank Endacott said he understood the 20-year-old Fai had just completed a training run on the beach and had gone to cool off in the surf with three others yesterday evening.

They then got in trouble in a rip, he said.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4809633a1823.html

 

[Kimlo]

Deadset i'm in shock, that's terrible terrible news, I hope he's found alive, I feel so bad for the poor bloke what he must be going through if he's still out there alive.

 

[Assassin]

Far too young to die, just shows how powerfull those rips can get, you couldn't get a fitter young man and still...
my thoughts are definetly with his family.

 

[Nashy]

That's absolutely terrible.

 

[GCBRONCO]

My thoughts are with his family, I really do hope they find him.

 

[Sabu_2008]

Terrible stuff.

That stretch of coast has taken more lives in NZ than any other.

My thoughts are with his loved ones.

 

[mick]

OMG. Absolutely horrible news. Keeping everything crossed for a successful outcome here... Fai is such a tremendous young talent, and the last thing we need is more tragic deaths in the world.

 

[Hamm.0]

Horrible.

Have any of you guys ever been caught in a rip? When I was 19, me and three mates were caught in one at Tugun. We were all fit, could swim decent (2 guys have their Bronze medallion) and we were all just sucked out. Lost energy just trying to swim out and around and before we knew it (like within a minute) we were at least 400 metres of the beach. Scary stuff.

 

[Nashy]

I got caught in a bloody Kiwi rip when I was on the East Coast.

Just did everything I'd learnt, wait it out, and swim to the side. I got helped by a life gaurd though.

 

[Playboy Bunny]

Read about this earlier. Very sad indeed. I was watching a beach rescue show a while ago and they were saying they have generally 3hours (i think?? maybe an hour??) to find someone out at sea and still have some hope in keeping them alive. The dude they had on the show did actually die which was pretty sad.

Miracles can happen though.

 

[Sabu_2008]

^Last year Norm Hewitt (All Black)'s borther Rob survived 4 days out at sea. He however wasa Navy diver and lived off of crayfish and Kina. Sonny unfortuantly does not have the same experience.

 

[GCBRONCO]

Girlfriend saw Sonny Fai swept out to sea
By KIM RUSCOE - Fairfax Media | Monday, 05 January 2009

The girlfriend of missing New Zealand Warriors star Sonny Fai watched as her man was snatched by the sea.
Fai, who was due to start training with the Warriors at Mt Smart Stadium this morning, had gone to Bethell's Beach on Auckland's wild west coast late yesterday afternoon for an extra training run, to burn off some "Christmas excesses".
He then headed into the water off Ihumoana Island about 6pm with girlfriend Jenna Frost and several family members.
His sister, La Lelei, said all but two managed to get out of a rip and back on to the safety of the beach.
"I have a younger brother and a younger cousin that are a bit too weak, they couldn't swim that hard so some of the bigger boys and Sonny jumped in to save them," she said.
"I heard that they were all together, holding hands, but then somehow my younger brother drifted away from them and Sonny went back to get him," she said.
Sonny told his little brother to let go of his hand, then he drifted back to shore and Sonny got stuck in the rip.
"My younger brother came back and Sonny was taken out by the wave."
Ms Frost, Fai's girlfriend, watched from the beach unable to do anything to stop the sea take her man.
"I was angry, I wanted to go in there and get him myself," she said.
Fai was the type of person who also put other people first, Ms Frost said.
"He's a really good guy, he has a good kind heart," she said.
Ms Lelei said the family went out to the beach last night, as soon as they heard what had happened, and stayed about 2am when searchers told them to go home.
They returned at 5am this morning to find his Warriors teammates already scouring the beach.

 

[mrslong]

[icon_frown sad story that one.

 

[Flutterby]

Yeah my friend and I were caught in a rip when I was about 10 - it was hel scary. Some guy who we didn't know jumped in and saved us - dragged us up into the rocks so we all got pretty cut up on the rocks, but at least we were out of the water, alive and safe - and then he just left, none of us even got the chance to thank him or anything. And it was because of that exact incident that I decided to join up the Surf Life Savers - so now I can read if there are any rips about, and to stay out. Have had to drag a few people out of rips when I've been on patrol as well - still scary stuff.

Am really feeling for all his family and friends on such a tragic loss of life but also chances are if he has drowned (which seems likely given the length of time) they won't even find his body for quite some time, so that's going to make it harder on them.

 

[Kaz]

I got caught in a rip years ago & I remembered seeing a program, where you just lie on your back & you float & you should survive the rip. (as you're not fighting the water etc.)

You will be stuffed if you can't float.

 

[Flutterby]

Yeah you need to not try to fight against the rip (which is the natural human reaction), but to go with it; it will eventually drop you off in calmer waters - of course you could be a long way away by then, but if you swim between the flags - firstly you shouldn't get caught in a rip and secondly if you do, the lifesavers will be there to get you out.

 

[Kaz]

Flutterby

When I was in the rip, the rip started between the flags.

 

[Flutterby]

That's why I said you shouldn't get caught in a rip; cause when the flags get set up there aren't any rips in that particular area, but rips are very unpredictable and they can come up quickly before there is a chance to move the flags and therefore re-designate the safe swimming area. Or the rip may have not been deemed to be excessively dangerous and they felt they could easily keep an eye on it. But if you were between the flags - they would have seen you in trouble and been right on to the rescue (whereas if you were out of the flagged area it would have taken longer for them to see you if at all).