Mr Newell said there was no guarantee having a patrol would have saved Mr Marshall who, he said, came in from a opening further down the beach.
"The chances are very slim that had a patrol been on that beach it would've helped anyway. You never know."
The $3000 it would cost to patrol on Christmas Day extra funding would have to be budgeted for in the council's annual plan.
The club received $56,000 from the council to run patrols over the summer just finished. The council may also consider whether it pays to extend patrols to Morgan St and South Beach in future but Mr Newell said it would take financial commitment from council.
"You either put it in place and do it properly or don't do it at all."
Meanwhile, the number of rescues the club performs annually has dropped from 181 in 1995-96 (the third highest in the country) to an annual average of 3.2. Mr Newell put this down to a change in approach.
"We, as a club, decided why are we rescuing people? We should be protecting them. Our guards are in the water protecting people. We do the prevention so we don't they rescues. Our guards are as good as anywhere in New Zealand, if not better."