12 April 2017

Last weekend for seasonal lifeguard patrols in Northern region

Northern region beachgoers will swim under the watchful eye of lifeguards for the last time this weekend as the official patrol season comes to a close.

And with heavy swells predicted for the west coast, Surf Life Saving Northern Region (SLSNR) is expecting a busy time at the beaches.

SLSNR Operations Manager Adam Wooler says large crowds are expected at the Region’s beaches as swimmers take advantage of relatively balmy autumn conditions. “The sea is still a reasonable temperature, and the lifeguards are on duty, so it’s a popular destination to relax during the holiday.

“But the risks will be high given the swell forecasts.”

Wooler says the messages for those heading out this weekend to enjoy the break at the surf beaches are the usual ones: “The key word is ‘enjoy’ and the place to be is between the flags.

“The risks are much greater if you’re outside the flags and outside the patrolled hours, so we urge all beachgoers to be sensible about their time at the beach. Know their limits and not take risks.

“It’s risky to swim alone, or swim in areas you’re not familiar with. It’s very risky to walk around exposed rocks in large surf conditions or fish from them without a lifejacket.”

Wooler says while we will not know final figures until the end of Easter; the trend so far is that the season has been another hectic one for lifeguards, who have been continually asked to respond to incidents off the beach.

“More rescues have been outside the flagged areas as the lifeguards diverse skill-set is needed across the gamut of events, from vehicle accidents and serious medical incidents, to quad bike rollovers on farms and inland search and rescue.

“We’re expecting the total number of people visiting the beaches we patrol to be around 500,000, and thus far we’ve made around 714 rescues and ‘assists’ at those beaches.”
Surf Life Saving has been no less active in the classroom either. “New funding from Sport Aktive and Water Safety New Zealand has pushed the education numbers to an all-time high and allowed SLSNR to reach new at-risk audiences around the Region, with around 17,000 children going through the community programmes.

“Sadly, this season we had several drownings nationwide, which indicates we still have a lot of work to do to help people understand - and avoid - the risks.

“But we feel we’re making progress and look forward to making the experience safer and more enjoyable for the public when we return for the next season in October,” says Wooler.

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