Waipatiki Beach was the scene of a recent surf rescue. Photo File
As of last week there were a startling seven rescues at Ocean Beach since this season's patrols began on November 12.
Just yesterday we heard the news that the Lowe Corporation Rescue Helicopter was dispatched to Waimarama Beach after a teenager got into difficulty at the summer hotspot.
Luckily the swimmer came to no harm.
Of the earlier rescues, two were by off-duty life guards who just happened to be in the right place at the right time.
Years ago I spent a day with the Waimarama surf lifesaving crew. The infamous and endless stories of swimmer stupidity were hilarious - told after the fact.
One of the crew let me in on a lesser known observation of patrolling, namely that risk taking is rife when they're on duty.
That is, the presence of the red and yellow guards is seen as a safety net by swimmers contemplating some "outside the flags" risk taking.
When the lifesavers pack up to go home, so do many swimmers.
So, given recent events, it's troubling to hear risk isn't confined to when surf patrols are on duty.
New Zealand has 15,000km of coastline, apparently the 9th longest in the world. Pair this with our love of the surf it then comes as no surprise that we need a robust water safety resource, and message, come summer.
The past few week's rescues have ranged from Waimarama, Ocean Beach, Clifton and Waipatiki; hence our surf lifesaving clubs are already clocking up an alarming number of saves.
Here's to a season of heightened surf-sense - and a statistic-free summer.