End of summer shift for paid guards

It is the last day on the job today for the 17 paid lifeguards on duty on our beaches since just after mid-December. Ryder Taylor, Ruby Lobb and Shaun Neale are pictured at their flagged area at Midway Beach yesterday afternoon. Picture by Paul Rickard

The paid lifeguard service on Gisborne, Wainui and Tolaga Bay beaches concludes for the summer today.

A 17-strong team of lifeguards have been protecting the public at the patrolled beaches since December 20.

They included four lifeguards from the United Kingdom and two from the United States, along with the Tairāwhiti surf lifesavers selected for the job.

From all reports they have had a fairly quiet time of it with only a  few rescue situations.

Surf Life Saving NZ club development officer for Tairāwhiti Jessica Buscke will provide a report on their activities in due course.

The surf lifesaving clubs will continue to operate at their home beaches at the weekends into March.

Meanwhile, three of Waikanae’s volunteer lifeguards were involved in a surf rescue at Waikanae last weekend.

Chloe Kapene and Lydia Baxendale identified two people in trouble amid a group of swimmers far offshore.

“They were slipping off the sandbank and were struggling,” a club spokeswoman said.

“Lydia paddled out on a board and secured both patients while Chloe and patrol captain Kristina Williams collected them in the IRB.

“We are so proud of them!”