“However, a small team of lifeguards stationed at Mount Maunganui and Pāpāmoa will continue patrolling on Monday and Tuesday next week until another assessment is made on our funds and staff available to extend our services.”
Gibbons-Campbell said the small extension was made following requests from patrol captains at those clubs to carry on patrols for at least another week. Unfortunately, the funding that Surf Lifesaving receives was “limited”.
He said great weather this week had prompted more beachgoers, especially around 11am, resulting in 150-plus people on the beaches and 60-plus swimmers in the water in and around the flagged areas.
Another reason to seek an extension was the expected good weather conditions this weekend and earlier next week, he said.
Gibbons-Campbell said earlier this week a call was made to start patrols at Mount Maunganui, Ōmanu and Pāpāmoa an hour earlier for the remainder of this week, meaning lifeguards were on duty from 11am to 7pm, and another lifeguard joined the Ōmanu team, increasing their numbers from three to four.
“These small changes can be accommodated within our tight budget, but we need approval to further extend paid lifeguards services as to do so costs about $10,000 a week.”
He said the council had been “fantastic” in increasing the funding each year to help cover the cost of inflation rises, but Surf Lifesaving NZ’s funding only stretched so far and the organisation still relied on donations and volunteers to keep patrols going.
“If we can’t find the funds people getting into trouble will have to rely on our Search And Rescue squad volunteers who do live locally, but it will mean a bit of a delay in their response to incidents as they still need to drive to the club rooms to grab their lifesaving equipment and make their way to where a swimmer/s or surfer/s are in difficulties.
“That is why it is so important for people to not swim alone and only swim where and when our lifeguards are on duty, he said.
Tay St lifeguards had already finished their patrols until next summer, he said,
Gibbons-Campbell said the big inshore deep trough which runs along the coast between Mount Maunganui and Pāpāmoa was something some swimmers weren’t aware of until they got caught in a rip and dragged out to sea.
“Next week the weather conditions are expected to be very good with hot sunny weather which will see many head to the beach. Surf conditions at the end of the week are meant to pick up with three to four-foot waves on Saturday and Sunday with strongly easterly swells meaning this inshore trough will be even more churned up.”
Gibbons-Campbell said he was still getting reports of many people swimming outside flagged areas.
That included on February 20, when a man was found floating face down in the surf at Pāpāmoa Beach by members of the public in an unflagged area the beach about 1.2km from the Pāpāmoa Surf Lifesaving Club.
The swimmer died after desperate efforts to revive him, including by an off-duty lifeguard, he said.
The next day, a female swimmer was seen in distress in the water about 1km south of Ōmanu towards Pāpāmoa.
“Luckily the person was able to get themselves back to shore unscathed, but it could easily have been a different outcome.”
Beachgoers are urged to visit website SafeSwim.org.nz to find where and when lifeguards are on duty.
