Fergs Paragliding and Adventure

10/06/2023

Winter flying today at te mairie new bunch students will be a good day

11/02/2023

Great collection of launch styles

A view of the paraglider's launching from Mount Elliot during the 2023 Flow Corryong Open paragliding competition.

20/04/2021

Nice Day at Pakiri teaching top landings

22/02/2021

The SPOT product family uses both the GPS satellite network to determine your location and the Globalstar network to transmit messages and GPS coordinates to others including an international rescue coordination center.

20/02/2021

30/01/2021

A catch up of the last month of activities, a great week in the Bay exploring new sites and a great comp next time for epic conditions

25/10/2020

Another site Ferg’s pioneered and nice learning more about t

25/10/2020

Great weekend tandems friends and doing what I do

04/10/2020

***UPDATED****Mangawhai Heads beach more dangerous than usual – Surf Lifeguards warn

Mangawhai lifeguards are warning beachgoers to avoid the south end of the beach, after rescuing two 10-year-old girls from an inshore-hole on Sunday.

The hole opens up near the shore as the tide goes out and can easily pull in children and those who aren’t confident swimmers.

Leader of the Mangawhai Heads Emergency Callout Squad Jess Costello says they had just finished a joint training session with Waipū Cove Surf Club, when the girls got into trouble just before 4pm.

12 year old local surfer Jackson Brown & his father Andy were the first to assist the girls as the rip pulled them out to sea.

The two local surfers helped keep the girls afloat while Costello paddled out on a rescue board. She pulled one onto the board and with the assistance of one of the surfers, got both back to shore where their waiting family were very thankful.

“The hole is quite deceptive because it looks like a calm patch of water so people think it’s safe to swim there, when in fact it’s the opposite,” she says.

“If people do get caught in a hole or a rip they need to relax, float on the back and raise their hand to signal for help.”

Costello says calling 111 and asking Police for the lifeguards is the best thing to do if you see someone in trouble in the water.

“Sunday was all about ensuring the Mangawhai and Waipū Emergency Callout Squads are rescue ready as we head into the summer and it’s pretty crazy that was put to the test on the same day!” she says.

It’s the second rescue Mangawhai Heads ECOS has performed recently, after rescuing four fishers off the rocks on August 22nd.