Northland Rookie Surf Lifeguard Camp helps sharpen lifesaving skills for summer

Rookie lifeguards from five Northland surf lifesaving clubs gathered last weekend to work on the skills needed to help save lives. Photo / Supplied

Young budding lifeguards from throughout the region honed their lifesaving skills at a Rookie Surf Lifeguard Camp last weekend.

Waipū Cove Surf Life Saving organised the camp for 13 and 14-year-old future guards from their own club, Mangawhai Heads, Ruakākā, Whangārei Heads, and Baylys Beach. Alongside them were teens from 13 schools in Northland.

Together they took on ocean swell swimming, practised rescues with fins and tube rescues, crafted their teamwork with an eight-person stand-up paddleboard, and tackled rescue board paddling.

Ocean swimming in swells at Waipū Cove was a big focus for the young guards' training. Photo / Supplied

The group take a break on the shore after completing a stint of water-based training. Photo / Supplied

Waipū Cove club captain Kath Manning said the rookie guards also saw the club's beach wheelchair in use in the water.

"[...] with a wheelchair user having their first beach visit in 20 years."

First aid techniques and understanding medical conditions were part of the camp's training schedule. They tried their hand at search and rescue to find scattered victims suffering chest pains, spinal injuries, choking, and broken bones.

The teens work on their first aid skills - a necessity to keep beachgoers safe this summer. Photo / Supplied

"An important part of being a surf lifeguard is also about looking after the beach environment as well as the beach users," Manning said.

So rookies learned about protecting the sand dunes, and planted spinifex and pingao in front of the clubrooms.

Rookies plant spinifex and pingao on the dunes at Waipū Cove with the help of lifeguard and Northland regional councillor Rick Stolwerk. Photo / Supplied

Manning thanked her club's instructors for running the camp - sponsored by On Target Drilling, the kitchen cooks and helpers, and Mangawhai Heads team.