An off-duty paramedic who drove himself to an ambulance after breaking his neck while surfing says he's had a unique insight into how to treat patients with neck injuries.

Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopter advanced paramedic Rob Gemmell has just returned to work after the Easter weekend accident at Mangawhai Heads.

He said he went for one last surf and was about to step back onto the dry sand when a rogue wave picked him up, and dumped him head-first into the sand.

"I instantly felt a crunch in my neck, and as I was tumbling in the surf knew that I'd done something wrong, but fortunately was able to stand straight up after I stopped tumbling, and instinctively my hands went straight to my neck, mainly because I felt like my head was going to fall off."

Miraculously he could still stand and felt the best option for him at the time was to drive to the nearest ambulance station.

"I had one hand on my neck, the other hand on my steering wheel, and could safely turn my body to ensure I was safe driving the car, and I wasn't a hazard on the road."

While Mr Gemmell had the medical expertise to asses his situation safely, he strongly advises others not to do the same.