The service is patrolling both beaches every day from noon to 6pm until February 6, followed by volunteer weekend patrols until March 2.
Comp said Kai Iwi and Castlecliff had been busy so far this season and the majority of people were following instructions.
There were around 50 people in the water and 70 on the beach at Castlecliff around 2pm on Monday.
“It’s always a select few who aren’t between the flags,” Comp said.
“If you get two or three at a time, another group will come and join them because they think it’s okay.”
He said one rescue at Castlecliff - 200 metres south of the flags - required two guards.
That left two on patrol in the main area.
“The main groups who seem to be doing it are teenagers, young adults and visitors from overseas.
“They might come from areas with nice, safe waters and I think they are underestimating our seas here.”
Around the country, 22 people were rescued by surf lifeguards over the weekend.
As at 9am on January 4, the provisional drowning total for 2024 was three.
Dangers at Kai Iwi and Castlecliff
Comp said there were currently two large rips at Castlecliff Beach.
Rips are narrow bodies of water moving out to sea, often identified by calm patches in the surf and discoloured or foamy water.
They are common in areas with sand bars, piers, jetties and anything else that sticks out from the beach.
“There is a massive one out in front of the [surf] club at the moment - what we call a permanent rip,” Comp said.
“Another one is just to the left of the club, with a hole there.”
Comp said despite Kai Iwi Beach being picturesque, there was danger in and out of the water.
Material was falling off the cliffs in the main cove “every single week” but people were still tagging their names on it.
Rock ledges under the cliff also needed to be taken into account at high tide.
“Part of our role is to keep people safe on the beach itself,” Comp said.
“We put a sign up near the cliff telling people to not swim there but people are still going over and taking their kids with them.”
There is a rip in front of the surf lifesaving tower at Kai Iwi - the location of all four rescues on the beach last week.
A group of four guards and three intermediate guards is on both beaches over the summer, each led by a patrol captain, and risk assessments are carried out each day before the flags go up.
Not “a babysitting service”
Comp said his staff were not “a babysitting service” and younger children needed to be kept within arm’s length by a caregiver when in the water.
Recently, two boys visiting Whanganui for the first time had gone to Castlecliff Beach by themselves and did not know how to get home.
Their father was eventually tracked down and came to collect them, Comp said.
“We’re already wearing a lot of different hats on the beach and we’re trying to prevent stuff before it actually happens.
“Of course, it’s great for kids to come down to the beach for a swim but, please, parents make sure you come with them.
“We deal with proactive lifeguarding - engaging with the public, educating, making sure they’re between the flags. It’s no good for us to be the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff, so to speak, waiting for something to happen.”
Comp said in an emergency, people swimming between the flags had priority over those who were not.
“If you’re outside the flags getting into trouble and there’s a major first aid incident inside them at the same time, our resources are going to be really stretched.
“Lifeguards are pretty approachable people. We can explain why we’re putting the flags where they are. We go for condition swims and we make sure the area is checked.”
“The conditions are always being assessed.”
Mike Tweed is an assistant news director and multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.
