It’s time to dig out your beach towel, sunscreen, and thongs as the red and yellow flags have been put up at Dee Why and Freshwater Beach. All the remaining beaches up and down the coastline will see the flags from 24 September.

From picturesque Palm Beach to busy and beautiful Manly, Council lifeguards and surf lifesaving volunteers will once again begin patrols for the 2022/23 season.

Council’s professional lifeguards share the immense responsibility of keeping our beaches safe with volunteers from 21 Surf Life Saving Clubs.

Throughout the week, on weekends and public holidays, a combination of volunteer surf lifesavers and our lifeguards manage beach safety. They work together to ensure visitors and residents are safe and comfortable whether on the sand or in the water.

Last year over 9.7 million people visited our beaches with 1,372 rescues and 4,045 first aid cases requiring attention.

There were also 373,573 preventative actions undertaken by the lifeguards and volunteer lifesavers primarily involving directing swimmers to swim between the flags, away from rips, and directing board riders to steer clear of the flags.

Along with keeping visitors safe and comfortable, all lifeguards and lifesavers seek to increase the knowledge, skills and awareness of beach users.

We remind beachgoers to know their capability, swim between the flags, read the water conditions, follow the direction of lifeguards and beach signage and if you’re not sure, ask a lifeguard for advice.

And don’t forget to cover up from the sun’s harmful rays and slip, slop, slap.