It’s been another busy holiday season for lifeguards across the Northern Beaches, bookmarked by record crowds over the public holiday weekend.

With over 4.4 million visitors to the area over the Christmas school holidays, our local beaches and waterways continue to be some of the most popular destinations across Sydney.

This summer our lifeguards were involved in over 150,963 preventative actions, largely directing swimmers between the flags, away from rips and directing board riders to steer clear of the flags. 

Thanks to beachgoers paying attention to safety advice, our lifeguards have performed less rescues this year - 729 compared to 924 for a similar period last year.

Keeping visitors and locals safe across our beaches is a shared responsibility between Council’s professional lifeguards and volunteers from 21 Surf Life Saving clubs from Palm Beach to Manly. Together this dedicated team are kept busy managing the safety and comfort of all beachgoers, on the sand or in the water. 

Along with protecting beachgoers, all lifeguards and lifesavers seek to increase the knowledge, skills and awareness of beach users. Our beach safe messaging remains all about following top tips for safe dips with flags up on beaches every day until the end of summer:

• Swim at a patrolled beach and between the flags.
• Read the safety signs for information about the beach and if you are unsure ask a lifesaver or lifeguard.
• Always swim with someone else so you can look out for each other.
• If you need help in the water, stay calm and attract attention by raising one arm.

For more information on beach safety including videos on how to spot and get out of a rip, visit our website.