National surf patrols end their season

 

Surf Life Saving New Zealand is celebrating another successful summer of saving lives as the season officially comes to a close this long weekend.

Easter traditionally marks the end of the Surf Life Saving patrol season which began at Labour Weekend and saw 74 clubs patrolling 92 locations nationwide.

Surf Life Saving New Zealand’s Lifesaving and Education Manager, Allan Mundy, says it has been a hugely busy summer in comparison to last season which saw lifeguards operating in some challenging conditions.

“This summer, we experienced some amazing weather and warm water temperatures which brought huge crowds to our beaches around the country. Great weather naturally increases the number of people flocking to beaches and therefore we’re likely to see rescue numbers go up.”
Surf Life Saving New Zealand records both ‘rescues’ which involves saving someone from a life-threatening situation, as well as ‘assists’ which involve removing swimmers from dangerous situations.

Provisional statistics for the 2017/18 season show a 26 percent increase on the number of rescues compared to last season and most encouragingly, an 84 percent increase on the number of assists. Lifeguards have carried out 769 rescues (compared to 612 last season) along with 2,176 assists (1,184 last season).

After what was a very positive start to the summer, the country saw six beach drownings in February and March, taking the number of drownings at unpatrolled beaches between Labour Weekend and mid-March to 11. While better compared to 17 at the same time last year, it is a rapid slide from just two at the end of December and five at the end of January.

Mr Mundy says one drowning is too many but one fact remains the same- swimming between the flags is always the safest place to swim.
“Considering the fantastic summer we’ve had, and the number of rescues and assists that have been carried out, it is pleasing to see that the number of drownings at unpatrolled beaches hasn’t increased dramatically on last year.”

While the red and yellow flags will be put away until Labour Weekend, volunteer lifeguards will continue to be part of callout and search and rescue squads over the winter months as well as continuing with their training, upskilling and keeping their surf clubs running.

Mr Mundy says a massive thank you must go out to the 19,000 members and 5,000 lifeguards around the country that have worked tirelessly to keep beach-goers safe for another year. 

“Being a Surf Lifeguard is a big commitment and we're incredibly grateful to all of our volunteers. They can all be proud of the fact that they have contributed to saving hundreds of lives.”