KEY POINTS:
I'm prepared to put money on guess that at least four out of 10 Kiwi kids would have asked for and received a boogie board for Christmas.
Post Christmas, the beach - especially the flagged area - seems to be inundated with young riders breaking in their boards. It's very cool to see.
However despite our efforts to encourage beachgoers to use correct and safe equipment, too many people - both kids and adults alike - still head out into the surf ill equipped. Most deem it unnecessary (not to mention uncool) to use their board's wrist strap and wear a pair of fins.
Body boarders without fins are regularly picked up by IRBs across lots of beaches. And that's not cool.
It's not just body boarders and surfers neglecting to take this message on board though. It's common to spot people wearing heavy clothing into the water too. Denim jeans, cotton T-shirts - they're not designed to get wet let alone be worn to swim in.
Parents (if you're lucky enough to be escaping from work to head out to the beach), please make a conscious effort to ensure your kids are safe. Wrist straps and fins are a real must if you plan to visit a surf beach.
If you'd like to cover up, do so correctly by wearing board shorts, a rash shirt or a wet suit.
Surf life saving action
Teams from surf clubs around the country congregated at Red Beach on Saturday for the Owen Chapman carnival.
With the Lion Foundation Surf League (surf life saving's glamour event) just under a month away, it was the last chance for athletes to impress selectors and secure spots in their provincial teams.
It was a cut throat carnival which made for awesome viewing.
Although Red Beach isn't exactly known for massive surf (it's generally known to be as flat as a run over pancake), participants weren't put off by the lack of waves. Flat-water carnivals separate the weak from the elite and the lions from the lambs.
With no swells to give competitors a helping hand back to shore, races were intense from start to finish.
Emma Darwen
Pictured above: Jordan Boyce, 11, from Otane, in Central Hawkes Bay. Pictured swimming safely at the Ahuriri Beach, Napier. Photo / Paul Taylor
