"We will finish our weekend patrols on March 13 and come back again during the middle of November," Mrs Moodie said. "Between all of the Surf Life Saving Clubs in Hawke's Bay, we have about 180 volunteer lifeguards."
National Lifesaving Manager, Allan Mundy said that, although the summer holidays are over for most adults and kids, there will still be people out and about on the beaches during the week.
"It's important that they have their senses switched on and exercise some caution when heading out into the water."
He said people need to take care and understand what risks they may be putting themselves into and take practical steps to avoid them.
"That means not swimming or surfing along, stopping to assess the conditions and potential dangers and not overestimating your ability," Mr Mundy said.
The drowning toll over the summer goes to show how important it is to remain vigilant around the many beaches.
Ten people drowned in New Zealand waters this official Christmas holiday period, which runs from Christmas Eve until January 4. December saw two tragedies in the Bay, where a 16-year-old Korean student died while swimming at Waitangi Lagoon in Awatoto earlier in the month and a 3-year-old boy drowned in a lagoon at Ocean beach, about 500m away from the flagged area.
To ensure the ongoing support of lifeguards, Price Waterhouse Coopers will hold the inaugural Business House Jandal Day Relay.
The event will take place on Wednesday, February 17, to raise money for the HB Surf Lifesaving clubs. Starting at 4.30pm, the event will be held on the beach front in Ahuriri between Hot Chick and East Pier Hotel.
Debbie Moodie said local lifeguards from the four Hawke's Bay clubs are passionate about protecting their communities and the work they do as volunteers.
"The beach is a place for fun and for families to be together and we want it to stay that way. That's why we're here.
"Training lifeguards and providing them with the essential equipment to do their job is a priority for our clubs but this comes at a cost,"
Mrs Moodie said.
Lifeguards will also continue to be part of callout squads and search and rescue squads in many areas.
In the event of a surf emergency, please dial 111.