Beach patrollers fresh from textbook mass rescue ready for hot week

Monday, 25 January 2021

Stay away from rocks and rips at the beach over summer, surf lifesavers say. (Video first published in November 2019.)

A dramatic rescue during which 27 people in 10 minutes were pulled from a rip at a Christchurch beach has led to recognition for their rescuers.

And back-to-back days of sweltering temperatures in the city this week have the patrollers on edge again.

Wayne Simmons, president of the Sumner Surf Lifesaving Club (SLSC), is urging beachgoers to swim between the flags after the club received a national award for a mass rescue on December 19.

His crew had been gearing up for crowds that day when the forecast suggested it would be hot and sunny. He put a shout out to the volunteers on a group chat the day before.

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The predictions were right, and the crew spent the day “actively lifeguarding” – with volunteers in the water as well as manning the flags.

Sumner Surf Lifesavers have earned themselves recognition after saving 27 people in 10 minutes after a rip caught them out in December. Pictured left to right, Per Tonascia, Will Simmons, Lucy van Berlo, Wayne Simmons, Jessica Larson, Jack Simmons, and Harry Taylor.

“We initially pulled six people on the north side of the flags, but then the flash rip developed on the south side,” Simmons said.

Within 10 minutes, all 27 members of public had been returned to shore either by inflatable boat, tube or board.

“Having [volunteers] in the water already definitely made a difference,' he said.

Sumner Surf Lifesaving Club president Wayne Simmons is urging people to swim at patrolled beaches to stay safe this summer.

“We were ready to go – it was the public that got caught out.”

Simmons said many people could not physically identify a rip, as shown in a recent study undertaken by Surf Life Saving New Zealand and beach safety experts, so it was vital to stay between the flags.

“The key is if there is no patrol on, people need to consider whether they get in the water at all.

“Always swim at a patrolled beach, always swim between the flags, and if in doubt, don’t go out.”

Another problem was swimmers not realising how far they were drifting, Simmons said.

“People walk in, but don’t look behind them. Then they drift out of the flagged area and suddenly they are in a rip without realising they’ve moved.”

He recommended swimmers line themselves up with an object that is not likely to move, such as a building, so they can tell when they are drifting.

If caught in a rip, the most important thing to do is relax and remember the three Rs:

Relax and float to conserve your energy.
Raise your hand to signal for help.
Ride the rip until it stops and you can swim back to shore or help arrives.

Christchurch is expected to be a particular hotspot in the south, with 35C forecast on Tuesday and 32C on Wednesday.