Beach Day makes positive impact on kids

JULIA WADE

Local school children were delighted to swap their desks for a classroom at the beach recently, and a chance to learn more about rescues, rips and water safety.

Kaiwaka School Year 4, 5 and 6 students travelled to Mangawhai Heads Surf Lifesaving Club on April 8 to attend a Beach Education Day hosted by Surf Life Saving New Zealand.

Guided by three Auckland lifeguards and instructors, students were taken on a tour of the Mangawhai Heads club and grounds, where they not only got to view the collection of vital rescue equipment, including rigid inflatable boats, beach vehicles and rescue tubes, but also had a turn at using them for a practice rescue in the water.

While Mangawhai Heads lifeguards were not actively participating in the program this last season, Mangawhai Heads Volunteer Lifeguard Service president Jon Drucker says two instructors were involved last year.

“We feel that it is a great program that fits well in our mission, as it promotes awareness of hazards at the beach, as well as safe and fun ocean activities. In fact, a student who participated in a course at our club last year was cited for employing the skills learned to help a friend who got in trouble in the water.”

The beach day obviously made a positive impact on the children with feedback ranging from serious reflection, ‘It is pretty sad that most of the drownings in New Zealand are men’; to new learnings, ‘Now I know that if there is someone in trouble in the water and there are no lifeguards around, you have to phone 111’ and ‘I got see where there was a rip, I didn't know what it looked like and now I do’; to expressions of wishful thinking, ‘I wish we could do learning at the beach all the time’; as well as praise for surf lifeguards, ‘They do a really good job keeping us safe so we need to help them by learning how to be safe at the beach and swimming between the flags’.

Kaiwaka School deputy principal Michelle Dempsey says the skills the students learnt were invaluable.

“It was an informative and fun day. We were very fortunate to have this programme fully funded by Surf Life Saving Northern Region, and we’d like to say a big thank you to them as well as the amazing group of parents who came to support the children on the day by being in the water so everyone could fully participate.”

Students also got to try on helmets and lifejackets, and take a close look at the rescue beach vehicles; ‘It was really great getting to have a close up look at the RIBs. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

Auckland surf lifeguards Paige, Nick and Chelsey talked to the young students about a variety of beach safety tips including rips and what to do in a beach emergency. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

Supervised by teachers, parents and lifeguards, students enjoyed having a go at using rescue equipment; ‘My favourite part was doing a rescue in the surf using the rescue tube’. PHOTO/SUPPLIED