Northland beaches are a hot spot for visitors this summer, but 15 rescues over the Christmas long weekend are a startling reminder to be careful when it comes to our shores.

Surf Life Saving Northland
CEO Matt Williams told the Northern Advocate his “Christmas wish” for lifesaving in Northland for 2023 is to reduce the drowning toll.

He wants to see visitors to Northlands beaches “using the beach when and where we want, but in a safe way”.

In 2022, there were 91 fatalities in the water, with 18 of them in Northland alone – 20 per cent of fatalities nationwide. The Enchanter disaster, which saw five fatalities, was a key factor in Northland’s high numbers.

Even so, the number was more than 2021′s total of 10 fatalities in Northland.

Williams thinks more education is the key to reducing those numbers, as well as beach presence from lifeguards across Northland.

“One of our strategic priorities is to ensure we continue to enhance our beach safety presence,” he said. “We want to encourage ways we can keep the public safe before they even get to the beach.”

Williams reminded beachgoers to utilise the ‘safeswim’ platform, but he also hailed a new state-of-the-art technology as “the lighthouse on the hill” that could be utilised by the public this year.

A collaborative project between Surf Live Saving New Zealand, Auckland University and The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd (Niwa) could potentially save lives by providing real-time updates of rip currents.

Rip currents can be difficult for even the most knowledgeable of surf lifeguards to identify. The deadly currents can reach speeds of 2.5 metres per second, which is quicker than the fastest Olympic swimmer.

The state-of-the-art tool developed by Niwa uses artificial intelligence and “deep learning” in order to provide 90 per cent accuracy in detecting the potentially-deadly currents.

Niwa coastal scientist Dr Christo Rautenbach spoke with the Advocate about the process, and what it could mean for Aotearoa.

“Approximately a year ago Surf Life Saving New Zealand reached out to us to help continue the development they’d already got,” Rautenbach said.

“We actually need a better way of identifying rip currents, but then it moved into me being interested in artificial intelligence [AI].”

After publishing a first peer-reviewed article, the collaborative partners have submitted an application for further research money.

This would allow Niwa and Surf Life Saving New Zealand to choose specific case study sites across the country, which Rautenbach called “a community workshop”.

He said the tool could then be tailored for the “bespoke needs” of different communities, which he noted is important because social aspects come hand in hand with environmental ones.

The groundbreaking technology was described by Rautenbach as an artificial brain called “image net”.

He said this brain can already identify houses, cards, cats and dogs, but the addition of identifying rip currents “added more intelligence to this existing brain”, he said.

The groundbreaking technology was developed by “feeding” millions of coastal aerial images to the AI model along with artificial rain and fog data, which taught it to identify where rips occur in real time, regardless of weather conditions and camera angle.

It will be able to identify between a beach and a breaking wave, “but more specifically, say that’s a rip current”, Rautenbach said.

The new technology can identify rips in rain and fog, so it is generalised to use at any beach in New Zealand.

If the funding is accepted, case study sites will be across the country to create a “nice socio-economic spread, and diversity in environmental conditions as well”.

Rautenbach said the idea of partners working together is the direction in which science is going.

“It’s more like, I’ve got an idea but let me just run it past as many people as possible,” he explained, “so it addresses the actual need, rather than my perceived need.”

The need for tools to further aid surf lifesaving groups across the country is paramount, with the busy summer season seeing many rescues across just a number of days.

In Northland alone, the Christmas weekend saw 15 rescues and 12 assists take place. Paid and volunteer lifeguards worked a cumulative 2686 hours across three days to keep beach-goers in Northland safe, taking 956 preventative actions.

On Christmas Day a rescue took place in Mangawhai, with two on Christmas Eve including one in Ahipara and another at Waipū Cove.

Christmas Day saw tragedy averted for one family, as the Dargaville police, Northland Search and Rescue and the Eagle Helicopter managed to locate a missing man from a campsite south of Glinks Gully.

The worried family had called the police at 9.25pm as the incoming tide made their own search difficult.

They were located, and provided food, water and warmth before he was transferred back to the campsite. It’s yet another reminder to always remain vigilant near the water, and ensuring constant communication.

Surf Life Saving Northern Region’s Matt Williams encourages beachgoers to “turn your common sense on” when visiting beaches this year.

Further safety messages from Surf Lifesaving Northern Region included:

▪ Choose a surf lifeguard-patrolled beach and swim between the flags.

▪ Read and understand the safety signs – ask a surf lifeguard for advice as conditions can change regularly.

▪ Don’t overestimate your ability or your children’s ability to cope in the conditions.

▪ Always keep a close eye on very young children in or near the water – always keep them within arms’ reach.

▪ Get a friend to swim with you – never swim or surf alone.

▪ Watch out for rip currents, they can carry you away from shore. If caught in a rip current remember the 3Rs: *Relax and float, *Raise your hand, and *Ride the rip.

▪ Be smart around rocks. When fishing never turn your back towards the sea and always wear a lifejacket.

▪ If in doubt, stay out!

▪ If you see someone in trouble, call 111 and ask for the police.