20 November 

A whopping 46 rescues were performed today by lifeguards around the Northern Region. Muriwai completed 19 rescues, 13 of these were in one mass rescue after a couple of rips suddenly opened up while they had several hundred swimmers. A further six swimmers were rescued throughout the day as the conditions continued to be unpredictable. Piha performed six rescues, but no information was available because lifeguards were involved in an ongoing incident at the end of patrol. A Karekare lifeguard rescued two swimmers shortly after patrol had finished, after she noticed them stuck in a rip. With the help of a nearby surfer the lifeguard was able to return both swimmers safely back to shore.

Raglan clocked the busiest day of all with 19 rescues and a further 3 assists. Raglan had an outgoing tide all day which increased the level of danger at their beach. Three swimmers were assisted in the morning after the flags had been moved multiple times because of changing conditions. The swimmers were unable to make their way back to shore, and had to be aided them back to shore by lifeguards. The lifeguards then performed a mass rescue of five patients, all of whom had been caught in the unpredictable rips and a channel running parallel to a sand bar. A further 14 patients were rescued in a second mass rescue, which involved an IRB and two lifeguards with tubes continually picking patients up and dropping them back to the shore before returning out to pick up more.

Bethells started their day with a major first-aid before patrols began: a girl had injured her ankle in the dunes near Lake Wainamu, and lifeguards assisted the girl back to the surf club where she was met by an ambulance who transported her from the beach to receive further treatment. United North Piha ended their day with a major first-aid after a male in his early 20s suffered what is believed to have been a severe allergic or anaphylactic reaction. An ambulance was called and lifeguards handed the patient over to the paramedics who transferred him to hospital.

At the end of the day, Muriwai had a call for a further six possible rescues, two swimmers and four surfers all in trouble in the water. As lifeguards had just packed up patrol they were quick to respond, and thankfully all patients were able to safely return themselves to shore with no assistance from lifeguards.

Today’s events and multiple rescues are a timely reminder of the dangers of the surf environment and how quickly conditions can change. The message from all Patrol Captains today was the importance of swimming in between the flags, especially in treacherous west coast conditions.

Statistics – Saturday 20 November

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