News Release
22 December 2009

Water Safety should be top of mind over holiday period

Thousands of Kiwis are packing their bags and getting ready to hit the beach as the busy holiday season looms. Over 2.4 million people will visit New Zealand’s most popular playground this summer – and Surf Life Saving encourages people to take responsibility for their own safety.

“The most effective safety tips are the precautionary ones,” says Surf Life Saving New Zealand CE Grant Florence.

“People should check out weather and tide conditions before heading to their destinations. Many of the rescues our Lifeguards perform could be prevented if people did their homework and were adequately prepared for the conditions.” says Florence.

Surf Life Saving provides patrols at 80 of our most popular beaches - but people need to remember that patrols don’t make the beaches safe – they make them safer. Always treat water with respect, whether lifeguards are on patrol or not.

Since Labour Weekend this year Surf Lifeguards have rescued 126 people and put in over 36,000 volunteer hours. They’ve prevented over 24,000 people getting into trouble - and performed over 250 first aid treatments to help make our favourite playground a safer place.

Surf Life Saving reminds people of the following safety tips:

• Swim between the flags:
At a patrolled beach Surf Lifeguards have checked the conditions and put the red and yellow flags in the safest place to swim or play.

• Beware of the changing conditions at the beach:
Conditions at the beach can change so it pays to stay aware of changes. An example is that rips can often form around the time that tides change.

• Learn to recognise rip currents

Rip currents at the beach are dangerous. A rip is a body of water moving out to sea.

To escape from a rip current:

• Raise your hand to alert Surf Lifeguards
• Don’t panic
• Swim parallel to the beach to the nearest breaking waves
• Don’t swim against the current

You can identify a rip by:

• Calm patches on surf with waves breaking either side
• Rippled or criss-cross water
• Discoloured water because sand is stirred up
• Foamy water with debris
• Rips are hard to spot on a windy day

• Listen to the advice from Surf Lifeguards
The Surf Lifeguards know all about the beach and the sea and have local environmental knowledge. Listen to what they have to say so you can have fun and keep safe.

• Always be aware around moving water:
Moving water is always a risk whether it’s at a surf beach or not. Water is pushed into the beach by waves and has to find a way back; the drag can catch people unaware even in relatively shallow water.

• Use correct and safe equipment
Making sure that you have the right equipment is important for any outdoor activity. If you are at the beach you need to make sure that you use your boogie board with a leash and fins.

ENDS

© Scoop Media