On what was one of the busiest weekends of summer so far, Sutherland Shire Council lifeguards and volunteer lifesavers around Bate Bay had plenty of work on their hands ensuring that visitors to Sutherland Shire beaches were kept safe in very challenging surf conditions.
Council lifeguards and lifesavers performed more than 60 rescues last weekend and administered over 200 first-aid treatments as people continually found themselves in difficulty in the large and powerful surf.
In addition, lifeguards assisted surf lifesavers with water safety at the Australian Surf Rowers League event held at Elouera Beach and on two occasions, competition was suspended so the lifeguards could respond to major incidents.
On Saturday, 10 people were pulled out of the surf in a mass-rescue at ‘The Wall’ between North Cronulla and Elouera Beach, while on Sunday a further 10 people were pulled out in a single incident at Wanda Beach.
Sutherland Shire Mayor, Cr Carmelo Pesce said it was a busy weekend for lifeguards.
“What a fantastic team effort keeping beachgoers safe in difficult conditions across the weekend, especially with the additional crowds that came in to witness an exciting ASRL event,” he said.
“We have the best lifeguards and lifesavers in the Country and our relationship with surf lifesaving is going from strength to strength as we continue to collaborate on beach safety.”
Already this season the two organisations collaborated on installing new innovative technology at Greenhills Beach last December.
Weighing in at approximately 18 kilograms and utilising a 3G voice intercom, SMS functionality, and a camera the technical aspects of the machine are impressive, and it will continue to play an important part in ensuring the safety of beachgoers.
SLSNSW CEO Steven Pearce praised the efforts of lifeguards and volunteers for their weekend efforts in the Bate Bay area.
“Our patrolling members did a fantastic job under very difficult circumstances with big crowds flocking to the beaches on the weekend,” said Mr Pearce.
“The professionalism of everyone involved in water safety on the weekend was absolutely fantastic to see and played a significant part in the successful running of the surfboat carnival.”
Over the weekend more than 150 people were rescued on NSW beaches.
Wednesday 21 February 2018