Surf lifesaving clubs in Hawke's Bay are open for summer.
Surf lifesaving clubs in Hawke's Bay are open for summer.
If you’re heading to the beach in Hawke’s Bay this weekend, someone will be looking out for you.
And if you’re on the beach and need rescuing after the guards have gone, a new bit of kit is there to help.
The surf lifesaving season starts today, with all fourHawke’s Bay-based clubs open until March.
Westshore Surf Life Saving Club (SLSC) director of education Brian Quirk said that, thanks to very little heavy surf, Westshore Beach was in good condition.
The club is keen for new members to join ahead of a potentially busy summer.
South of Westshore, at Hardinge Rd Beach in Ahuriri, is Pacific SLSC, which has been based at the beach since 2022, having previously been at Marine Parade.
Club administrator Pip Jackson said it had been sad to lose the use of the Marine Parade facility and move all equipment into a trailer.
Since the move, there had not been any rescues, because of the beach’s kind waters.
“The most [lifeguards] tend to do is put a Band-Aid on someone’s knee, but it’s good that they’re there.”
Ocean Beach Kiwi SLSC chairman Richard Wilson said the upcoming season looked good, thanks to a mix of experienced lifeguards and newbies, but the club was also looking for new members.
Ocean Beach and Waimārama were two of the busiest beaches in the lower North Island, and it was typical for two or three reasonably significant rescues each season.
He had simple advice to stay safe in the water this summer.
“Always listen to the lifeguards, swim between the flags, keep an eye on the people you take to the beach and don’t swim alone.
“Anywhere where water is involved, it’s dangerous.
“An example of an area to be careful at Ocean Beach is that lagoon area ... there’s been drownings in that lagoon over the years.”
Waimārama SLSC chairman Ken Laurie said the club had been open for a couple of weeks already and was looking forward to its 75th anniversary on December 5 and 6.
Good weather at Waimārama last summer had meant a “quiet year on the rescue front”, but he said anyone visiting the beach was most welcome to talk to lifeguards for help.
“Come and make yourself known. Any issues, any concerns – we get lots of things given to us, from lost children to lost car keys.
“We don’t bite and we’re always keen to actually engage with the public.”
A rescue buoy, aka a torpedo buoy.
To help out when lifeguards have left the beaches, Surf Life Saving New Zealand has joined local councils to install rescue buoys at Waimārama, Ocean Beach, Ahuriri, Marine Parade, and Te Awa o Mokotūāraro mouth (Clive River).
Unlike throw rings, these buoys, sometimes known as torpedo buoys, are designed to be taken into the water and towed, thanks in part to their lightweight hydrodynamic design, suitable for surf environments.
