Volunteer surf lifeguards from the Manawatu-Tararua Search and Rescue squad have spent the weekend assisting the search for a man missing in the Manawatu River.

“Our surf lifeguards have been assisting other emergency services in the search for a man who fell into the river on Saturday," said Charlie Cordwell, Central Regional Manager for Surf Life Saving NZ.

“As of Sunday evening, we still had four Inflatable Rescue Boats (IRBs) on the river, participating in the search, including support from the Wellington-Kapiti Search and Rescue squad. The Manawatu-Tararua Search and Rescue squad will continue the search today, with forecast rain tomorrow brings the river level up and makes search conditions difficult.

Across all of New Zealand, volunteer surf lifeguards worked 3,810 hours over the weekend. In total, 229 preventative actions were taken, involving the safety of 2,458 people.

After several significant incidents in the Northern Region last week, including a tragic fatality at Piha on Tuesday 12 November, the Paid Lifeguard Service commenced at South Piha and Muriwai beaches yesterday, with surf lifeguards at Muriwai performing an assist on a struggling surfer. They will be followed by Bethells Beach and Raglan from Monday 25 November, North Piha from Monday 2 December, and Ōrewa, Karekare, and Kariaotahi from Monday 9 December (full Northern Region timetable follows).

SLSNZ Northern Region General Manager Zac Franich says that last week’s incidents all occurred outside of regular patrol hours.

“There were several concerning incidents last week in which people were entering the water at unpatrolled beaches, in dangerous conditions. If you swim at an unpatrolled beach, or outside patrol hours, you are placing yourself at an incredible risk,” he says.

“With the PLS commencing at Muriwai and South Piha, we hope that people ensure they make safe choices by swimming at these patrolled beaches.

“We also strongly encourage people to check the Safeswim website to check beach conditions, surf lifesaving patrol information, and other important information like tides before making their trip to the beach.

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