Lifeguards take a more proactive approach these days and keep an eye on beach users from the sand to sea, says Mr Roy. The familiar red and yellow flags that denote officially patrolled areas are shifted during the day to the safest swimming spot.
Lifeguards will advise beach-goers to swim in the patrolled zone.
“About 99 percent of people listen,” says Mr Roy.
“Nobody ever drowned swimming between the flags.”
Knowing how to swim is not enough, however, says Surf Life Saving New Zealand national manager Allan Mundy. People need a good level of fitness to get out of a rip or cope with big waves.
“Unless you swim distances regularly, then you can’t consider yourself safe swimming in moderate to large seas, away from patrolled areas. Being in a rip means you have to swim in deep water for an extended period of time. You also have to remember that a series of big waves can keep you pinned under water for up to a minute. If you can’t hold your breath that long, you should not be going into the surf in those conditions.”
If people swim in areas where they cannot see the red and yellow flags, chances are lifeguards cannot see them either, says Mr Mundy.
“If you choose to swim by yourself or at a remote location, it will take that much longer for help to arrive,” he says.
Last season, lifeguards carried out more than 400,000 preventative actions at around 80 patrolled locations nationwide.
“For every drowning, there are thousands more preventative actions that take place to prevent people from getting to the point of needing rescue in the first place,” says Mr Mundy.
“Lifeguards are constantly working the beach and on the lookout for potential danger, which is our most important role,” he says.
