Two people are in a critical condition after "getting into trouble" at an Auckland pool on Saturday evening.
Emergency services were called to the Olympic Pools and Fitness Centre on Newmarket's Broadway at 7:30pm.
St John told Newshub they attended with two ambulances, two rapid response vehicles and an operations manager.
Two people have been taken to Auckland Hospital in a critical condition. Police told Newshub they "had gotten into trouble in the water at the pool".
A witness told Newshub he noticed two men in their 20s or 30s at the bottom of the pool who hadn't moved in a while.
He dived down to check on them and saw they were unconscious. He said the pair were pulled from the pool and CPR was performed by the pool's lifeguards.
The Olympic Pools confirmed to Newshub that an incident had taken place, and all their procedures had been followed.
In a statement, the family of one of the boys said their son 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," they said.
"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."
This story has been updated to include the family's statement.
