Lifeguards keep careful watch

LIFEGUARDS at Himatangi Beach have been busy this summer keeping swimmers clear of the holes and rips that have lifted danger levels at the popular seaside destination.

Five rescues have been carried out at Himatangi Beach since patrols started last month, with tides and winds creating more holes than normal along all west coast beaches. Conditions are particularly dangerous at low tide.

Thirty-six rescues (up on previous years) have been recorded in the Western Districts’ area, with 18 of them at Otaki. Levin-Waitarere have had seven, followed by Foxton Beach (6) and Himatangi Beach.

Palmerston North Surf Lifesaving Club’s head regional guard, Nick Johnson, said the Himatangi Beach rescues had not been that serious, with people getting out of their depth.

“We went out to get them either using a rescue tube or the IRB (inflatable rescue boat),” he said.
Mr Johnson said a number of holes had appeared in the beach’s normal safe-swimming area, so lifeguards were forced to move the flags further south to ensure greater safety.

“Each morning we go for a swim to find the best spot and then put the flags out,” he said. “While we don’t have many rescues, we do attempt to minimise them by putting the flags in a safe place. And if it’s really busy, we have a swimmer out the back keeping an eye on things.”

The flagged area usually stretches for about 50 metres, but this varies depending on the number of swimmers in the surf.

He said the behaviour of swimmers had been generally good and people responded positively when alerted that they were outside the flagged area.

Regional guards handle weekday duties at Himatangi Beach until January 29, with volunteers taking over at the weekends.

Lifeguard numbers for Palmerston North are good and those involved are appreciative of the ongoing funding support provided by the Manawatu District Council’s Partnership Fund.

Community and Strategic Development Officer, Tracey Hunt, said the partnership between club and council enabled provision of a valued service that ensured community safety.

“And the importance of such a partnership is certainly being emphasised this summer with lifeguards having to be on full alert because of the challenging conditions,” she said.

Himatangi Beach is a relatively safe swimming spot because of its flatness, but swimmers are urged to keep between the flags, ask the lifeguards where to swim and not to swim alone.

Lifeguard patrol statistics for Himatangi Beach
Voluntary patrols (weekends)

Hours worked: 363

Rescues: 3

First aids: 2

Searches: 1

Preventative actions: 96

Regional guards (weekdays)

Hours worked: 306

Rescues: 2

First aids: 3

Searches: 0

Preventative actions: 72