Surf Life Saving Northern Region weekend patrol statistics and summary
(1 February – 2 February 2020)
Summary
On Saturday, beach numbers were relatively quiet despite soaring temperatures.
The surf boat competition, Day of the Giants, was hosted at Piha beach and two rescues and 10 assists were performed
throughout the day (No support service assistance was required). Orewa lifeguards performed three assists, the first
incident involved two boys who were spotted struggling to paddle a stand up paddle board back to shore against the wind
and tide. This was followed by a kite surfer being stranded out at sea around 6.15pm after patrols closed.
Immediately after a search was launched by Orewa lifeguards after a father alerted the club to a floating pool toy his
young daughter and her friend had been using that had no one on it. Lifeguards retrieved the pool toy (large pink
flamingo) and quickly found the missing girls. Karekare treated 10 people for jellyfish stings.
On Sunday, there was great numbers on the beach with relatively low incidents. A kite surfer got into difficulty in
Raglan, an Inflatable Rescue Boat (IRB) responded but was stood down due to patient making it safely to shore by
himself.
Weekend Statistics (1/02/2020 – 2/02/2020)
No. of people rescued4No. of people assisted16No. of major 1st aids2No. of minor 1st aids47No. of searches4No. of PA's545No. of Public Involved3,082Peak headcount15,235Total hours worked3,090
Saturday Statistics (1/02/2020)
No. of people rescued2No. of people assisted12No. of major 1st aids1No. of minor 1st aids19No. of searches3No. of PA's250No. of Public Involved1,054Peak headcount7,565Total hours worked1,146
Sunday Statistics (2/02/2020)
No. of people rescued2No. of people assisted4No. of major 1st aids1No. of minor 1st aids28No. of searches1No. of PA's295No. of Public Involved2,028Peak headcount7,670Total hours worked1,944
Key:
Rescue: When lifeguards save someone from drowning.
PA: Preventative Actions e.g. lifeguards giving people safety instructions e.g. advising to swim between the
flags/advising to move away from a rip etc.
Assists: Early intervention by lifeguards to prevent member of public from getting into major difficulty.
Public Involved: Number of people lifeguards interacted with.
2019-2020 Beach Safety Messages
1. Choose a lifeguarded beach and swim between the flags
2. Ask a lifeguard for advice
3. Don't overestimate your ability
4. Keep young children within arm’s reach at all times
5. Never swim or surf alone
6. Watch out for rip currents, they can carry you away from shore
7. When fishing from rocks, always wear a lifejacket
8. If in doubt, stay out!
9. If you see someone in trouble, call 111 and ask for Police
10. Be sun smart – Slip, Slop, Slap and Wrap.
ends