Many readers will have fond memories of spending time at the beach as children, and as parents or grandparents.
Unfortunately, going to the beach is also a time when many people find themselves in trouble in the surf, or worse.
Surf lifeguards rescued 60 people nationwide last weekend.
The Bay of Plenty Times reported lifeguards rescued 25 people across the eastern region’s beaches on New Year’s Day, including six caught in a rip in Mount Maunganui.
This summer is already a busy one for lifeguards.
Surf Life Saving NZ reports on its website that by December 23, lifeguards had performed 240 rescues since the patrol season started at Labour Weekend – more than twice the number for the same period in 2024.
There have been fatalities this summer, including two men who died at Ripirō Beach, Northland, on January 3. Emergency services responded and lifeguards pulled them from the water, “unresponsive”.
There have been other incidents at other beaches.
Cracking weather in December supercharged the summer for many people. There was some unseasonal weather over the past couple of weeks, but New Year’s Day was busy in the eastern region and blistering temperatures are set to return this week.
We can expect to see many people swimming at beaches in the days ahead.
Beach swimming carries risk. Rips, holes, tides, changing weather and other factors can make beach swimming unpredictable and dangerous.
But there are things people can do to minimise that risk.
These include swimming between the flags on a surf-patrolled beach during patrol hours and checking beach safety messages. Simple measures can mean the difference between a safe and fun day at the beach and tragedy.
Surf Life Saving NZ says there were 429 beach and coastal drownings in New Zealand between 2014 and 2024. Each left families and communities devastated.
The organisation has a sobering message: “Our drowning toll is something every New Zealander should see as a national tragedy and one we all have a responsibility to address.”