No lives lost at Riversdale since 1955

Riversdale Surf Life Saving Club warns swimmers to be between the flags. PHOTO/FILE

Riversdale Surf Life Saving club hasn't lost a life since 1955 in patrolled areas, and with this year's drowning toll climbing nationwide, people are being warned to swim between the flags.

Eight people in New Zealand have drowned over the past four days, making the national death toll 100 for the year, compared to 90 last year.

Riversdale SLC secretary Dave Rose "can't stress enough" the importance of swimming between the flags at all times.

"There's a lot of people who just walk out in front of their beach houses and swim 200m away from the flags because it's more convenient to them," he said.

"Now if someone gets into difficulty, it could take two or three minutes for us to even be told there's an issue and get down there in a quad bike or run, and by that time it could be all over.

"Minutes are precious in terms of saving a life."

Mr Rose said there have been three or four "preventative" rescues at Riversdale beach since Christmas.

Preventative rescues include when swimmers appear to be out of their depth and are shifted out of an area by a lifeguard before major trouble.

"The hard part is about trying to educate people to get between the flags where we patrol because our beach is so long," Mr Rose said. "Between the flags, in our two patrolled areas at the beach, the north end and the south end, we've never lost a life since we began in 1955. There's not a lot of surf and life saving clubs that can claim that. If you swim between the flags, we'll look after you."

He said it was "tragic" how many lives had been lost over the Christmas holiday period in New Zealand, none of which were within patrolled locations.

"People have to realise that they need to have a lot more respect for the water and at the water's edge. They need to be looking after their kids, making sure they know where they are, that sort of thing."

Mr Rose encourages kids to become more aware of the surf and said opportunities are available throughout the holidays to be involved with the Riversdale Gazley Nippers Programme.