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Six people have been rescued by off-duty lifeguards on a Northland beach in the past three weeks.
Exhausted swimmers, including an 8-year-old girl, were pulled out of the water at Ocean Beach three times.
Lifeguards will be back on patrol this Saturday and are preparing for what could be the busiest season on record, as Covid-19 travel restrictions keep Kiwis at home.
WhangÄ ?? rei Heads Volunteer Surf / Stuff
Six people have been saved at Ocean Beach in Northland by off-duty members of the Whangārei Heads Surf Lifesaving Club.
Whangārei Heads Surf Lifesaving Club captain Josh Maxwell rescued an 11-year-old boy and his 8-year-old sister from a breakup in the middle of the beach on October 3.
“I was on my way to surf when I found them at the rip, they were coming up the ladder and they were very scared, so I hoisted them on my surfboard and carried them to shore,” he said.
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The following week, Maxwell encountered twin brothers in their 20s who were caught up in the same problem.
“One of them had almost given up when I got to them, I had to lift him out of the water on my surfboard and paddle back to shore,” he said.
Supplied / Stuff
Surf lifeguards are looking forward to a busy summer season, as Covid-19 prevents Kiwis from leaving the country.
Then this weekend, Maxwell saw two divers being sucked into the sea.
“While doing my usual paddle at Jump Rock [Tarakanahi Island] I realized that they were being sucked north towards Proctors Beach, ”he said.
“By the time I got to them, they would have been a kilometer from shore and they were both exhausted,” he said.
Maxwell let them hold onto his board as he paddled closer to shore, but he couldn’t cut through the big waves and strong currents.
“Fortunately, Ben and Daniel Akroyd were training at the IRB [Inflatable Rescue Boat] and I managed to signal them to come out and help. They put them in the boat and took them back to shore, ”he said.
“It’s lucky that I was doing my usual paddling at the time because there was a surf competition and everything and nobody could see them from the shore. Like I’m still thinking if I hadn’t been there and seen them, they probably would have died. “
Surf lifeguards across the country are gearing up for what might be the busiest salvage season on record.
Covid-19 travel restrictions mean New Zealanders are facing a summer without the option of a vacation abroad, with many expected to take “stays.”
Surf Life Saving New Zealand CEO Paul Dalton reminds people that lifeguards can’t be everywhere at once.
“Our lifeguards do an extraordinary job, but we anticipate that this summer will be incredibly busy,” he said.
“We are asking New Zealanders to do their part by choosing to go to supervised beaches and always swim between the red and yellow flags.”
