My Account
Both Omaha Beach Surf Life Saving Club (OSLSC) and Mangawhai Heads Volunteers Life Saving Club (MHVLS) picked up awards for big rescues this season.
Omaha collected second place for a rescue in December, while Mangawhai picked up third for one in March at the BP Rescue of the Month Awards.
MHVLS captain Brad Kehoe says it wasn’t a particularly busy season, but it did involve a few big rescues with a number of people involved.
“Our award-winning rescue saw us get 12 swimmers to safety from a rip and was mostly carried out by our younger life guards,” Brad says.
“We also had to deal with a boat that had an engine failure and one that flipped on the bar.”
Assisting with boats in trouble is a growing role for Mangawhai since they became qualified to act as Coastguard back up this season.
“Sometimes a crew might need immediate assistance in the area, and we have the ability to quickly deploy life guards to help them.”
This means a push is on at the club to train more Inflatable Rescue Boat (IRB) drivers.
“Having a larger number of drivers will develop our rescue capabilities, but it’s a strain on human and financial resources to train them. It’s a slow process.”
The club has also secured $3000 towards a $5000 container to hold its junior surf gear separate from the rest to streamline operations.
“We are hoping to really grow our junior and youth divisions so we have a strong group of life savers coming through to take leadership roles within the club.”
Meanwhile, Omaha faced its big rescue in December when a family were dislodged from their kayak off shore.
OSLSC president Julian Ostling says the operation was handled by a young group of lifeguards who the club hopes to retain.
“This season we’ve tried to develop a young leadership group as we want to retain those members to stay part of the service as they become adults,” Julian says.
“Laura Puckett is a great example of a young member who has stepped into an important role after gaining her Advanced Lifeguard Award this season.”
The club rescued 28 people this season, dealt with three major first aid incidents and 33 minor first aid incidents.
Omaha also stepped on to the podium in surf sports, boasting a particularly good record in the masters’ category.
Matt Craig, Mike Fitzgerald and Frank Maher all competed at the Surf Life Saving Nationals in March against 255 competitors from 32 clubs.
The trio picked up silver in the board relay and bronze in the taplin and team swim. Craig also grabbed silver in the beach flags and bronze in the individual board race.
