Did you notice more people about this summer? Lifeguards patrolled eight beaches this season and noted an increase of almost 17,500 people compared to the last.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Not only was there more people visiting our beaches, there was an increase in rescues.
Eurobodalla Shire Council contracts Lifeguarding Services Australia (LSA) to patrol beaches from Batemans Bay to Narooma during the summer school holiday period.
LSA chief executive officer Stan Wall said 140,353 people visited the eight beaches this summer holiday period, which is an increase of 17,454 compared to the 2017/18 season.
"We had favourable conditions for most of the beaches, Broulee was well protected by the dominating nor-easters and was busiest with crowds as usual," he said.
One of the first aid incidents was a stingray barb that had gone through a foot at Broulee
- Stan Wall
"Surf Beach had its standard crowds, and Dalmeny had more people this year - copping the largest number of rescues out of all beaches."
At Dalmeny, Lawler's creek entrance was closed over and a dangerous rip ran out by the rock shelf.
Mr Wall said lifeguards performed eight back-to-back rescues in the rip current on Christmas Day.
"Dalmeny rivermouth had closed over and changed the morphology of the beach," Mr Wall said.
"There was a constant rip current running out from the rocks, it's an open beach to the north-east wind which was also affected by significant amounts of swell."
Mr Wall said Tuross' One Tree Beach is considered to be one of the most dangerous of the patrolled beaches, with beach conditions also influenced by the rivermouth.
"Tuross had a number of jet-ski rescues in the rivermouth, including one boat that had flipped over crossing the bar," Mr Wall said.
In total, there were 45 rescues carried out by LSA lifeguards this season.
"This was the first year we had an increase in rescue numbers, mostly because of the wind and swell which was impacting beaches where they don't normally get that many rescues at," he said.
Mr Wall also mentioned an increase in stingray incidents where three swimmers at Broulee had stepped on stingray barbs.
"One of the first aid incidents was a barb that had gone through a foot at Broulee," he said.
Another first aid incident involved a male who dislocated his knee.
"An ambulance had been called by lifeguards at Tuross after a man had dislocated his knee in the surf zone," Mr Wall said.
Throughout the season, Lifeguards also supported other emergency services to Triple-zero (000) call-outs along the coast.
"Lifeguard supervisors attended two triple zero call-outs to Tuross, one at Maloneys Beach and one at Batemans Bay," Mr Wall said.
Lifeguards performed over 5,000 preventative actions, which Mr Wall explained: "are physical interactions between lifeguards and a member of the public."
"It is when lifeguards move a person back to the place where they are at least risk - lives have been saved by the direct actions of our lifeguards."
Mr Wall said zero lives were lost, with thanks to the all-local lifeguard team.
"I think my team on the South Coast are some of the best water women and men in Australia," he said.