Auckland lifeguard 'frustrated' as swimmers ignore water safety messages

Tuesday, 28 December 2021

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

A long-serving lifeguard at a popular southwest Auckland beach has spoken of his frustration and even anger at beachgoers’ constant ignorance of water safety.

Jim Coe, who has spent 43 years patrolling Karioitahi Beach, watched helplessly on Sunday as a 30-year-old man was dragged from the ocean and given emergency CPR.

The man was declared dead shortly afterwards. He had been swimming 500m north of the patrolled area.

It’s an experience that’s become a sadly familiar sight for Coe, who has seen two drownings in the past month alone. The message from lifeguards is clear – swim between the flags – but Coe is tired of swimmers being complacent in the ocean.

Jim Coe watched helplessly on Boxing Day as a man was dragged from the ocean and given emergency CPR.

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At low tide, Karioitahi Beach spans a length of almost 8km.

Karioitahi Beach stretches almost 8km in distance at low tide, and on a busy day it’s just too difficult for lifeguards to keep track of those who refuse to swim in the designated areas.

As demand increases at Karioitahi Beach, lifeguards are less tolerant of beachgoers ignoring basic swimming advice.

“It just becomes demoralising. They have no inclination of what they’re walking into, and it takes our view away from the patrolled area,” said Coe.

“You can come down on any given day, and you’ll see people swimming all over the beach.

“It’s a beach the locals know to be dangerous if lifeguards aren’t around. Visitors will see a calm patch and think, ‘I’ll swim there.’ But that’s where all the rip currents are.

“Me, personally, I was angry [at the drowning] – you spend all your time telling people about the dangers, the warning signs, and they just ignore it,” Coe said.

Surf Lifesaving CEO Paul Dalton said he was only aware of one drowning in the past decade having ever occurred between the flags.

Coe, who’s also president of Surf Lifesaving Northern Region, said about 10 times as many people were coming to Karioitahi Beach as compared to a few years ago. The increase makes the lifeguards’ job challenging as they keep tabs on as many swimmers as possible.

As demand increases, lifeguards are becoming less tolerant of beachgoers ignoring basic swimming advice.

“We had to tell three or four groups [on Sunday] to follow the rules. It’s a dangerous beach at the best of times,” Coe said. “The frustration does build up. It’s why we’re wanting to get the message out there: if in doubt, stay out.”

Three people died in water-related incidents while swimming on Boxing Day: the man at Karioitahi; another man at Waiwera Beach, north of Auckland; and a woman who died following a water-related incident at Waikanae Beach in Kāpiti.

Those who responded to the Karioitahi Beach drowning were part of the beach’s search and rescue squad, who also respond to police call-outs.

Coe said handling drownings doesn’t get any easier, four decades into the role.

“A loved one has passed away. It’s difficult, but we have procedures and debriefs to make sure everybody is alright,” he said.

“There's a lot of young kids on patrol. These are the ones looking after the majority on the beach, with a few old hands like myself supporting them. For the younger ones, it does hit them – is there anything we could have done better?

“[On Sunday] we did the best we could, professionally. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be.”