Auckland lifeguards' weekday patrols come to an end at Muriwai, Piha

Friday, 6 March 2020

Flags will come down at two of Auckland's dangerous beaches, ending paid lifeguards' weekday patrols after five months.

The Paid Lifeguard Service (PLS) will take down their flags and pack away their rescue gear on Friday at Muriwai and Piha in West Auckland.

However, it comes with a stern message to surfers to be careful in the water.

Muriwai PLS patrol captain Maysha Ahrens said lifeguards had been busy in the past three weeks, rescuing 14 surfers or swimmers trapped in holes.

Weekday lifeguard patrols will end on March 6 (file image).

* New Zealand's 10 most dangerous patrolled beaches ranked

* Drowned rugby league star Sonny Fai haunts veteran lifeguard**

Patrols will continue on weekends until Easter (file image).

Holes are patches of deep water where people can't touch the ground and there are no breaking waves to catch back to shore, leaving surfers and swimmers stuck.

She said most of those rescued have been surfers who had overestimated their abilities.

'Conditions are particularly bad as the tide goes out because the currents get really strong and sweep people into these deep holes that open up all along the beach,' Ahrens said.

She said first-time surfers or those with doubts about their abilities need to stay out of the water.

'From March 6, we aren't going to be there during the week to rescue you.'

Piha PLS patrol captain Jacob Rennie says holes are also a major hazard at Piha and often feed into the southern Patiki Rip, which sucks out to sea.

The best thing to do if a person is trapped in a rip or a hole is to relax, he said.

'Lie on your back and raise one arm into the air to signal for help. Don't try to swim against the current as you'll just get tired really fast.'

People should continue to follow emergency call procedures when they see someone in distress in the water.

Contact 111 and ask police for surf lifeguards, who will activate local Surf Emergency Callout Squad to perform a rescue.

'The main thing is to keep the person in trouble in your sight, Rennie said.

'Don't go out and try be the hero unless you're a very confident swimmer, and if you do, make sure to take a flotation device with you.'

Northern Region Paid Lifeguards patrolled at 22 locations from Ahipara in the Far North to Raglan over the summer, with Muriwai and Piha the final two to finish up.

Weekend patrols by lifeguards will continue until Easter.