Surf Life Saving NZ acknowledges the four tragic water-related deaths over the weekend and sends condolences to the whānau and friends of those who died.

People heading to the beach in droves to cool off in hot weather over the weekend kept volunteer surf lifesaving patrols across the country extremely busy, with a number of rescues of swimmers caught in rips prompting Surf Life Saving New Zealand (SLSNZ) to re-issue a call to “always swim between the red and yellow flags”.

On Sunday, mass rescues were conducted by surf lifeguards when 12 people were caught in a rip at Raglan, five people caught in a rip at Ōakura in Taranaki, and three people caught in a rip at Foxton, while elsewhere surf lifeguards performed rip-related rescues in large surf, particularly on Auckland’s west coast, at Kariaotahi, Piha, and Muriwai.

Zac Franich, General Manager, Northern Region said that rips are extremely hard to identify and can be fatal, with research showing that only about a third of people can identify a rip using a photograph and the figure is even lower when people are tested on a beach in a real-life situation.

“I know we have said this many times before, but as we start winding down for Christmas it’s very timely to raise it again,” said Franich. “Swim between the flags and don’t overestimate your swimming ability. No matter how strong you are as a swimmer, a rip will sweep you out to sea very quickly.”

Franich said some beaches are more prone to rips because of the shape of the shore bed.  As waves travel from deep to shallow water, they eventually break near the shoreline. As waves break, they generate currents that flow both offshore (away from the coast) and alongshore (along the coast). The larger the surf, the stronger the rip current.

The SLSNZ website lists some things to look out for to avoid a rip, and what to do if caught in a rip. https://www.surflifesaving.org.nz/stay-safe/beach-hazards/rips

“The main thing is to stay out of the water if you are unsure and always swim between the flags. Our surf lifeguards know their own beaches and will choose a safe place to put the flags,” says Franich.

In addition to responding to emergency situations, surf lifeguards were also kept busy with proactive safety measures, performing a total of 803 preventative actions involving more than 12,000 people.