Surf lifeguards rescued 577 people this summer. File picture. Photo: Cody Keepa for Surf Life Saving NZ
Surf lifeguards rescued 577 people this summer, a big decrease on previous years which Surf Lifesaving NZ attributes to a focus on prevention.
Surf Life Saving New Zealand's summer patrol season goes from Labour Weekend to 28 April.
Last year, the number of rescues was 873, and the year before that, it was 1472.
General manager of lifesaving Andy Kent said the reduction in people needing to be rescued was testament to the ongoing work and education by surf lifeguards.
He explained there had been a focus on "preventative action" - when a lifeguard identified a dangerous situation, and took precautions to prevent it developing into a real emergency.
That could include preventing swimmers from entering a rip or hole, checking on those who appeared to be in difficulty, or shifting board and ski riders out of flagged areas.
Photo: Supplied / Surf Life Saving NZ
Surf lifeguards had carried out 47,487 of these preventative actions involving nearly 1 million people this season - nearly double the number of last season.
"It's incredibly positive to see those rescue numbers start to trend down," Kent said.
The busiest day for surf lifeguards was 29 January, with 90 incidents and nearly 200,000 people on New Zealand beaches. February was the busiest month, with warmer weather encouraging more people into the water.
The more than 4000 volunteer surf lifeguards worked more than 240,000 hours this summer season, with surf lifeguard hours increasing every year.
"We can enjoy downtime on the beach because others are giving up their time to keep us safer," Kent said. "That isn't just the hours you see them patrolling, but also the time spent training themselves and others to ensure our beaches aren't just safe now, but well into the future."
Surf lifeguards would continue to train and upskill over winter, and volunteer Search and Rescue squads would remain on standby for any incidents outside of the summer season.
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