300 athletes battle in Surf Life Saving NZ event finale

Photos show action from the BP Surf Rescue Nationals today. Credit: Vendi Photography.

April 3, 2016

300 athletes battle in Surf Life Saving New Zealand event finale

The final day of the BP Surf Rescue Championships saw over 300 athletes from around New Zealand battle it out for top honours in the national IRB [Inflatable Rescue Boat] event, held this weekend at Papamoa Beach in the Bay of Plenty.

Sunset Beach Surf Life Saving Club [Port Waikato] emerged as clear leaders early today as they managed to pull away from their nearest rivals, St Clair Surf Life Saving Club [Dunedin], to win the annual IRB event held near Tauranga.

East End Surf Life Saving Club and host-club Papamoa Surf Life Saving club finished in third equal, only one point behind the second-placed getters, with Waimarama Surf Life Saving Club [Hawkes Bay] finishing close behind them in fifth.

Event manager Scott Bicknell said: “We are stoked with how well everything went at the BP Surf Rescue Championships this weekend. We had a couple of minor issues, like the weather, but we still finished early and everyone is happy and safe, so overall, it has been a great weekend.”

Teams enjoyed more settled weather today after yesterday’s challenging wet and windy conditions and Bicknell said this proved why these athletes are the country’s best.

Credit: Vendi Photography.

“The calibre of the athletes was just fantastic and meant we had a lot of really close races which is obviously great for the sport. They all did incredibly well this weekend, so a huge congratulations to everyone who took part,” he said.

“It was also good to see so many spectators and supporters out there cheering our teams on. It created a really cool vibe out there and we’re already looking forward to the 2017 edition,” he continued.

The races held during the two-day event mimic a variety of potential real-life rescues using the iconic orange IRB’s and test competitors skills both in and out of the water. Today saw the Teams Race, Tube Rescue and Single Rescue races in variable surf conditions.

The BP Surf Rescue Championships marks the last major event for Surf Life Saving New Zealand for the current season as they prepare for the winter months.

Ends

Full race-by-race results are available on our website here:http://liveresults.co.nz/44

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