With a "long, hot" summer already upon us and Westshore beach looking its best in years, the flags are up at the popular Napier spot, and lifeguards already working hard to keep swimmers safe.
This is what Westshore Surf Lifesaving Club members have done every summer since 1959, with volunteers patrolling the beach from Labour Weekend until late March.
Close to Napier CBD with relatively calm waves and a sandy beach, it is said to be the most popular one in Napier, used regularly by residents and visitors alike.
Just weeks into Summer, Westshore Surf Lifesaving Club director of lifeguarding Brian Quirk said if the weather now was anything to go by, "it's going to be a long hot one".
"At Westshore we start the weekend after Labour weekend, which is quite a way ahead of most of the other clubs in Hawke's Bay. Being an inner city club we're more convenient.