The family of a boy left in a critical condition after being pulled from an Auckland pool says he was swimming to touch the bottom of the pool and did not surface.
Two people were given CPR and rushed to hospital after they "had gotten into trouble" at Newmarket's Olympic Pools and Fitness Centre on Saturday evening, police told Newshub.
"Our son, a regular at the Olympic Swimming Pool, was swimming to touch the bottom of the pool which is 5 metres deep and did not surface. Our son was not practicing freediving and he was not deliberately holding his breath underwater," a statement from the family read.
"We would like to thank the retired doctor and competitive swimmer, Joel Crampton who assisted our son and first responders including Hato St John and the NZ Police.
"This is a tragic accident that occurred while swimming and we request that you respect our privacy at this time."
Crampton earlier told Newshub he was in the water training when he noticed the two people underwater in the deep end.
He said after his laps, the pair "were still down there not moving" and the lifeguard started getting concerned.
"I swam down to see if they were responsive and they weren't so I pulled them both up."
Emergency services arrived quickly and helped pool staff and a doctor who happened to be swimming to revive the men.
"It wasn't nice pulling a limp body up from the bottom of the pool but I'm glad I was there and able to do it, and I hope it's made a bit of a difference for them," Crampton said.
Olympic Pools and Fitness Centre director Peter Rust told Newshub his staff acted quickly and followed emergency procedures.
"I have to say they did a fantastic job, everything kicked in in terms of their professional training, they responded very well and had very good assistance from other people," he said.
