Beautiful weather saw high head counts and reasonably busy days for Surf Life Saving Northern Region’s lifeguards around the region.

Summary – Saturday 22 January 2022

Baylys Beach responded when a six-year-old girl inhaled water and was brought to the lifeguards by her parents just after 1pm. She was drifting in and out of consciousness, vomiting and foaming from the mouth. Lifeguards quickly responded and put the girl on oxygen. Her condition remarkably improved because of the intervention from the lifeguards and she became alert and started talking. An emergency doctor on scene said that the patient was fine and that the ambulance and rescue helicopter could be stood down. The lifeguards didn’t feel her condition was stable, and by time the rescue helicopter arrived, she deteriorated and began vomiting again. The patient and her father were taken to hospital via rescue helicopter.

Ōrewa hosted a junior surf carnival which saw their headcount soar to a peak of 2500 on the beach and 450 in the water. As the carnival was wrapping up, lifeguards spotted a kite-surfer at the end of the beach whose kite had fallen, but who appeared to be making no attempt to get it up again. Lifeguards launched an IRB and assisted the visibly distressed patient into the boat, collected his kite and dropped him back to the shore.

Red Beach rescued three teenage girls who had gotten caught by the tide at a cove on the rocks. One had been washed by a wave and had fallen on the rocks, so lifeguards treated her for grazing on the side of her hip and leg.

Statistics – Saturday 22 January 2022

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