A man’s finger was ripped off after his ring became caught on a hydroslide at a popular public pool in Auckland.

The Auckland Council confirmed a man in his 40s using the water slide got his ring caught while attempting to swing into the slide at the Mt Albert Aquatic Centre on December 27 last year.

He sustained a serious injury involving his finger being severed, but luckily, surgeons were able to reattach his finger.

Auckland Council head of service partner delivery, Garth Dawson, said the staff at the pool operated by Community Leisure Management, took action immediately.

“Immediate steps were taken to provide support to the customer, cease the hydroslide operations, and notify WorkSafe,” Dawson said.

He said “out of an abundance of caution” hydroslides at Auckland Council’s other pool and leisure sites were also closed while the cause of the incident could be confirmed.

Why did this happen?

Dawson said Auckland Council was advised that the customer caught their ring while attempting to swing into the slide.

“It was concluded that the most likely cause was a bolt used to affix signage to the top of the slide flume, which was not intended to be used as a grip point,” he said.

Safety measures have since been put in place, including removing fixtures at the slide entry and reviewing and updating slide user information.

Dawson said a temporary guard has been manufactured and installed to stop people from swinging from the slide rim and will remain in place until a permanent solution is manufactured.

No remedial action was required for other hydroslides, and the slide reopened after WorkSafe approval.

“While an incident of this nature has not occurred before, Auckland Council takes all such incidents seriously and works closely with its service partners to ensure they are thoroughly investigated, with a focus on safety and on preventing similar incidents in the future,” Dawson said.

A person’s finger was ripped off after their ring became caught on a hydroslide at a popular public pool in Auckland. Photo / Mt Albert Aquatic Centre

WorkSafe steps in

A WorkSafe spokesperson said they were notified of the incident on the day it occurred.

An inspector issued a non-disturbance notice instructing that the hydroslide could not be used until an inspector had visited the scene.

The inspector visited on December 29 to understand the circumstances of the event.

“The inspector was satisfied that Mt Albert Aquatic Centre had assessed the risks and taken corrective action by removing the offending screws and adding supervision at the top of the slide, and that there was a system in place to minimise the risk to participants,” the spokesperson said.

A follow-up assessment will be done in February to check the health and safety systems in place and ensure compliance with the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015.

If further health and safety concerns are identified by the inspector during this assessment, further intervention may be required, the WorkSafe spokesperson said.

In 2024, a young child was hospitalised in a critical condition after being rescued from the Mt Albert Aquatic Centre pool.