Man drowns in rip

A father of five drowned after he was caught in a rip at a west coast Horowhenua beach yesterday.

The 51-year-old died on Foxton Beach after attempts to revive him failed.

There were no lifeguards on patrol yesterday.

Horowhenua District councillor Anne Hunt said: "One of our concerns is the difficulty getting volunteer lifeguards in the area. There were no lifeguards down there when it happened."

Lifeguards are paid to patrol the beach during the school holidays and require volunteers after that.

"There is a shortage of volunteers and we can't keep the paid patrol going throughout the season," said Hunt, who revealed that she almost lost a child to the sea. "I nearly lost my daughter to drowning some years ago after she was caught in a rip. I am so grateful to those lifeguards who saved her life. I believe it is vitally important to have the beach patrolled."

Thirty-six people had drowned before yesterday's fatality, including 23 in January alone.

There were 96 drowning deaths in New Zealand in 2008.

Water Safety New Zealand general manager Matt Claridge said: "In terms of surf beaches, rips would be the leading contributor to drownings. It might look the calmest but it's not the safest.

"In terms of lifeguard patrols, they have to pack up at some point in the year."