A busy holiday period for local surf lifesavers

Lifesavers in Crescent Head have been aided this year by the use of a club drone, Crescent Head Surf Lifesaving Club Director of Lifesaving Matt Worrall said.

"The season has been great so far with a small but dedicated group of lifesavers volunteering their time to patrol. The addition of a club ATV and UAV have been very positive to our abilities," he said.

There have been two serious incidents at Crescent Head this summer period, one being a lower limb injury that happened on the sand and the second was a spinal injury that occurred in the water.

"There have also been many minor incidents like cuts and marine stings. These are standard and a common occurrence," Matt said.

"There haven't been many areas of concerns for us, except for shark sightings, but our use of UAV technology has increased our shark sightings in the area."

Matt believes the good surf conditions have decreased the number of incidents on unpatrolled beaches south of Crescent Head.

"We have been fortunate as there are many people using the southern beaches. The surf conditions on the whole have been calm over this holiday season and I think this is why we have had no incidents on the unpatrolled beaches," he said.

"As a club we are trying to be proactive at these locations. We have road registered trailers to transport the surf rescue crafts (IRB) to these locations. I have also resumed active IRB patrols of Goolawah beach to check on swimmers."

Another issue the club has faced this year is the number of paid lifeguards on duty during the peak season.

"Only having two lifeguards on duty makes it difficult to patrol such a large and busy area," Matt said.

"They couldn't take lunch on some days and leave only one lifeguard on duty due to the number of swimmers and the conditions. I really think there needs to be a minimum of three on patrol over these peak periods."

Up the coast at South West Rocks the season has also been busy regardless of weather conditions, South West Rocks Surf Life Saving Club president Rod McDonagh said.

"With so many people visiting South West Rocks and attending the beach, the issue of social distancing has been a bit of an issue but it's something we're managing," he said.

"The surf conditions have been really good and that's meant more people getting out and about in the water."

There has also been debris washed onto the beach at South West Rocks due to heavy rain and flooding.

"Overall people have been cooperative about following the rules which is really good," Rod said.

There have been a few minor incidents at South West Rocks including a jet ski rescue and marine stings over the holiday period.

"Horseshoe Bay might look calm, but there is a rip there and we've had to rescue a few people over the past few weeks," Rod said.

"Dogs not being on leashes has also been an issue and we're reminding people to adhere to the rules regarding dogs on the beaches."