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Baylys Beach Surf Lifesaving officially joins the club

Christmas came early for the team keeping people safe at one of Northland’s most challenging holiday spots this summer with the arrival of $120,000 worth of new surf lifesaving equipment.

Surf patrol operations at Baylys Beach on the Kaipara coast have previously been administered by the club at Ruakākā, but this year that changed as Baylys became officially affiliated with Surf Lifesaving NZ as the newest club in the country.

“The big change is that we now get to run our own operations, and control our own resources”, says Baylys club captain Kyran Gillespie.

Those new resources included two IRB rescue boats, a beach all-terrain vehicle, funding for a new ute rescue vehicle and other associated rescue and communications gear.

The new Baylys Beach club included 20 volunteer lifeguards that patrolled the west coast beach over summer until Waitangi Day.

“It’s been awesome to be able to do our job with such great new equipment. That, and the fact we are now our own club, really had a positive effect on everyone’s morale”, Kyran says.

Northland Regional Council contribute $224,000 annually towards funding for surf lifesaving operations at six key locations during the peak holiday period. This contribution comes from the emergency services rate collection. These are:

  • Paripari Reserve, Ahipara (Far North)
  • Baylys Beach, Ripiro
  • Ocean Beach, Whangārei Heads
  • Ruakākā Beach
  • Waipū Cove
  • Mangawhai Heads

This summer lifeguards in Northland spent 13,706 hours patrolling these beaches to keep people safe and performed 34 rescues.

Weekday patrols have now wrapped up around the region, but weekend patrols continue at Ocean Beach, Ruakākā, Mangawhai and Waipū Cove until Easter.

People standing behind surf rescue boat.

From left to right; Baylys club captain Kyran Gillespie, Baylys Beach Community Centre Trust Chair Grant Suckling, Surf Life Saving Northern Region Lifesaving Support Officer Lauren Williams and BP Dargaville owner Mark Simpson.