Northern lifeguards to start weekday patrols early after spate of drownings

Friday, 26 November 2021

Raglan Surf Life Saving patrol captain Mollie Abrams, who was part of the mass rescue, has some tips to stop others from finding themselves in a similar situation.

Auckland and Port Waikato lifeguards will start patrolling beaches on weekdays early this year after a recent surge in drownings and rescues.

Surf Life Saving Northern Region (SLSNR) said weekday patrols would begin on a number of key beaches on November 29. Previously, they were to begin in mid-December.

Three people have died and 62 others have been rescued in just over a week, SLSNR said, and the region’s volunteer lifeguard service was exhausted.

Lifeguards will be patrolling a number of Auckland’s West Coast beaches every day from next week. (File photo)

Weekday patrols will take place on Auckland’s west coast beaches – Bethells, Muriwai, Piha, Karekare and Karioitahi – along with Port Waikato’s Sunset Beach and Raglan.

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Bethells Beach is on Auckland’s West Coast. (File photo)

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On November 16 a man died at Bethells Beach after being recovered from the water unconscious by lifeguards. CPR was performed, but he couldn’t be revived.

On November 21, a member of the public alerted lifeguards at Baylys Beach in Northland to an unconscious person in the water. Lifeguards assisted emergency services but the person later died.

A person drowned at Karioitahi Beach happened when no lifeguards were around. (File photo)

Also on November 21, a man was revived by lifeguards at Karekare Beach before being flown to hospital. He was rescued by off-duty lifeguards after they’d packed up patrol for the day.

Eight other people also got stuck in a “deadly” rip at the beach over that weekend.

Two days later, two people were rescued and the body of another person was recovered from the water at Karioitahi.

Later that evening, seven people were rescued by lifeguards at Sunset Beach after being swept out in a rip.

SLSNR chief executive Matt Williams said the decision to start the patrols early was necessary to stem the drowning toll.

“We are seeing beach user numbers higher than you’d usually see in the peak summer period before summer has even begun and a corresponding rise in the number of serious incidents.

“As a comparison, a quarter of our annual rescues were performed over a small window of time last weekend.”

The deaths at Bethells and Karioitahi occurred when no lifeguards were around, Williams said.

While Search and Rescue squads were on scene quickly, those few minutes were “crucial” to save a life.

“By having a flagged area and warning people of rips, holes and other hazards we’re able to stop people from getting into trouble in the first place.”

Williams said the decision was also about ensuring the well-being of Surf Lifesaving volunteers.

“Members of our Search and Rescue squads live in these areas and are seeing people getting into dangerous situations all the time throughout the week, it can be hard to switch off, so knowing there are lifeguards at these beaches will help give them a bit of a breather.”

Donations to support SLSNR can be made on its Givealittle page.

AMENDMENT: An earlier version of this story did not include the details about the person who died at Baylys Beach. (Updated at 1.15pm, November 30, 2021)