Northern beach patrol season ends

Northern beachgoers will no longer have lifeguards watching over them as the official patrol season ends.

Surf Life Saving Northern Region season finished with a bang last weekend as Cyclone Cook delivered heavy swells in their final week on patrol.

SLSNR Operations Manager, Adam Wooler, said the season had been ‘‘hectic’’ for lifeguards who had been continually asked to respond to incidents on and off the beach.

‘‘More rescues have been outside the flagged areas as the lifeguards’ diverse skill-set is needed across the gamut of events, from vehicle accidents and serious medical incidents, to quad bike rollovers on farms and inland search and rescue.’’

Wooler said they are collecting the seasons total figures, but they expect the total number of people who visited the beaches they patrol will be around 500,000.

‘‘Thus far we’ve made around 714 rescues and assists at those beaches.’’

Wooler said new funding from Sport Aktive and Water Safety New Zealand has pushed the education numbers to an all-time high and allowed SLSNR to reach new at-risk audiences around the region, with around 17,000 children going through the community programmes.

‘‘Sadly, this season we had several drownings nationwide, which indicates we still have a lot of work to do to help people understand and avoid the risks.

‘‘We feel we’re making progress and look forward to making the experience safer and more enjoyable for the public when we return for the next season in October,’’ Wooler said.

Tips for staying safe on the beachChoose a patrolled beach and swim between the flags.

Get a friend to swim with you, never swim or surf alone.

Watch out for rips, rips are calm, deep patches of water close to shore that can sometimes have waves breaking to the side. Rippled, discoloured or foamy water with debris can also mean there is a rip present, don’t swim there.

Only swim where waves are breaking.

Always keep a very close eye on children in or near the water.

Know your limits and if in doubt, stay out of the water.

Listen to the advice of lifeguards.