Volunteer surf lifesavers have lowered the flags on NSW beaches after an action-packed and demanding surf season which saw almost 4000 rescues performed.
On the Cronulla beaches, 855 swimmers were given first aid by lifesavers and 349 people were rescued. There were four local coastal drownings since July last year with two in the Sutherland Shire area and two in Botany Bay – none in the flagged areas.
The 2015-16 drowning death toll of 53 is the highest on record and there have been 31 coastal drownings since the start of July last year.
More people have drowned in NSW waters than anywhere else in Australia. Rock fishing is a particularly unique challenge in NSW with new life jacket regulations being trialed.
The 21,000 active patrolling surf lifesaving members in NSW have collectively given over 560,000 hours of their time to ensure that beach goers were protected throughout the season.
Shire beaches are patrolled daily by council (blue and white uniform) lifeguards. Surf lifesaving volunteer lifeguards (red and yellow uniform) work with council lifeguards during the summer season providing assistance on weekends and public holidays.
In April, Sutherland Shire Council lifeguards will still patrol Cronulla, North Cronulla, Elouera and Wanda beaches seven days a week from 8am to 4.30 pm.
In the winter season (May-September) Sutherland Shire Council’s beach lifeguards patrol Cronulla Beach seven days per week between 7.30am and 3.30pm and North Cronulla Beach from Monday to Friday between 11.30am and 2.30pm.
A key focus this season has been lifesavers intervening in situations before they became potentially dangerous and, as a result, more than 111,000 preventative actions were undertaken.
These actions include things such as asking swimmers to swim between the flags and communicating to the public hazards such as sandbars, submerged rocks and powerful currents.
Surf Lifesaving NSW operations manager Andy Kent praised all the volunteers for their commitment to surf safety while also reminding people to stay safe along the coast during the cooler months.
“The dedication and commitment shown by all our volunteer lifesavers has been fantastic and we thank them very much for their efforts. They have certainly had a busy season and have risen to the challenges along the way,” Mr Kent said.
Some beaches across the state will continue to be patrolled by lifeguards throughout winter.
For patrol times and further information visit beachsafe.org.au.
- The 2017-18 patrol season will start on Saturday, September 23.