Future lifeguards gather at Waikanae Beach for some serious fun

Loads of fun happened at Waikanae Beach on Thursday night when more than 120 under 14 ‘junior’ surf athletes took part in the traditional pre-Christmas carnival and to make it even more fun, the man in red turned up to cheer them along. Pictures by Sonia Keepa

Gisborne’s junior surf lifesaving athletes had some serious fun at the twilight carnival held at Waikanae on Thursday night and Santa was there!

More than 120 youngsters from Dawson Building Midway, Kaiaponi Farms Waikanae and Riversun Wainui took part.

Surf Life Saving New Zealand (SLSNZ) eastern region sport manager Sonia Keepa said the carnival was designed to encourage participation and have fun testing the lifesaving sport and water confidence skills.

“It was a fast-paced, short-course event with the purpose of exposing the juniors to the disciplines of competition, with the focus of giving it a go and supporting juniors in what might be their first carnival.”

The carnival was for juniors aged seven to 14 years, covering various age groups.

“It’s held annually as a pre-Christmas event,” Keepa said.

“Everyone enjoyed an evening where the three Gisborne clubs came together to celebrate how cool these juniors are and highlight the progress in their development as our future surf lifeguards.”

“The 124 participants enjoyed the conditions in a variety of events from beach sprint, beach flags, swimming and board paddling across both teams and individual events.”

Midway had 64 competitors, Waikanae 45 and Wainui 15.

“The junior surf programme is designed to nurture children’s confidence, deepen their understanding of beach and coastal environments, and enhance their skills in and around the water,” Keepa said.

“The success of junior surf is vital to the growth and sustainability of our clubs.”

The next local surf lifesaving carnival will be the Coastal Challenge.

The challenge will be hosted by Wainui Surf Life Saving Club on Saturday, January 20.

It will provide a build-up to the Gisborne local championship carnival for both seniors (14 years and older) and juniors (u14) at Midway Beach on February 1-3.