A surf life saver performing CPR at the beach is sadly not uncommon in New Zealand, but it is a very rare sight in Pakistan.
You may not immediately think of beaches when you think of Pakistan, but they're actually quite popular. More than 1 million people pack the sandy shores of Karachi on a hot day, and until a decade ago the drowning death toll was in the hundreds.
That number that has only changed because of the work of some Kiwi lifeguards, including Tim Jago and Oliver Tyack.
Mr Jago went to Pakistan in 2003 to setup a lifeguard service following a request from an international surf life saving group.
"Their focus was on body recovery rather than saving lives of people as they got into trouble, and they literally had a body retrieval service set up and paid for by the council," he says.
But Mr Jago's helped change that by teaching locals basic rescue and CPR skills, as well as how to identify rips and holes. His work has helped to reduce the drowning toll from around 250 annually to just 20.
"The stark difference we've got is seeing young kids playing in water feeling confident to do so, and knowing it's safe to do so because they're under the supervision of lifeguards."
A former Karachi city commissioner has credited the programme with saving more than 3,500 people over the past decade.
A Pakistani man seen getting CPR in a video shot by a surf life saver is one of many to benefit from the duo's training.
"One of them had videoed it to show us and they did a full [resuscitate] on this guy, CPR and everything," says Mr Tyack, a 21-year-old surf life saver from Muriwai. "It was awesome to see what we taught put into action and it saved the guys life."
Mr Tyack accompanied Mr Jago on the latest mission. They're already planning their next trip and are also looking to bring some of the Pakistani team to our shores this summer.
"They've never been out of Karachi, let alone Pakistan, so it'll be an awesome experience for them and I think it'll contribute to their development immensely."
But for now the duo is enjoying be back home and on patrol, where the beaches are a little less busy.
Newshub.
