Lifeguards' skills in demand at Rugby World Cup fan zone

Lifeguard manager Karel Witten-Hannah and his patrollers had to rescue seven crew during dragon boat races yesterday. Photo / Steven McNicholl

Beach lifeguards are putting their first-aid and surf-boat handling skills to good use at the Auckland waterfront fan zone during the Rugby World Cup tournament.

Since the Queens Wharf fan zone opened five weeks ago, 42 lifeguards in six red inflatable rescue boats (IRBs) have nightly patrolled the waters off public areas in downtown Auckland, from 6pm until 2am.

At weekends, when Princes Wharf's public promenade and bars and restaurants are busy, they have two shifts, starting at 1pm.

Lifeguard manager Karel Witten-Hannah said they helped rescue seven crew during dragon boat races yesterday.

On other days they helped police to rescue people from an upturned dinghy, searched for a missing child and also reached English rugby player Manu Tuilagi within two minutes of his jumping overboard from a Fullers ferry and striking out for Pier 3.

Most of the time, as they do on patrol at the beach, the lifeguards see the potential for an accident and take what they call preventive actions.

This could be warning off pleasure craft which stray into restricted areas and revellers who are too close to the edge of the wharves - a long drop to the swift tidal current flowing in the shadows.

On Saturday night, a sharp-eyed crew spotted trouble on shore. They clambered up a ladder to help a person who was having an epileptic fit on the wharf.

Mr Witten-Hannah and supervisors Andrew Shaw and Ollie Irwin are from the Karekare Surf Life Saving Club and the other supervisor is Rob Pidgeon from the United North Piha Club.

The Karekare club organised the service but the lifeguards are drawn from all other Auckland clubs.

"They have made a superb effort often in cold wintry conditions to ensure that visitors have a margin of safety in the event of falling into the Waitemata Harbour," said Waterfront Auckland chairman Bob Harvey, who is also president of Surf Lifesaving.

When fan zone planning began, Mr Harvey and Rugby World Cup Minister Murray McCully asked Surf Lifesaving Auckland Northern Region for a water safety overview around the wharves.