Summer is coming and that means beaches will be as busy as ever as swimmers and sunbathers take advantage of the fine weather.
Hundreds are expected to head to Brighton Beach on any given weekend and swimmers will be looked after by Brighton Surf Life Saving Club life guards who have a new club house, new inflatable rescue boat (IRB) and plenty of enthusiasm.
Treasurer and life member Colin Weatherall said the Brighton club had about 40 life guards working shifts to patrol the beach and look after swimmers from November 1 until Easter. Most would be volunteers.
''It's going to be a huge [summer]. [Brighton] is a location to come to,'' Mr Weatherall said.
''We've had a huge influx of new members since we opened the new facility [and] we're always looking for new members.''
The Brighton Gala Day would be one of the biggest days for the club.
''Thousands'' were expected and a number of them would head to the beach for a dip during and after the festivities.
The new $600,000 club house was recently completed and Mr Weatherall said it was already being booked for a variety of functions.
''We're getting a number of weddings booked [and] it can cater for about 80 people,'' he said.
The new IRB, one of just two awarded to surf clubs in New Zealand in a competition by BP, was also a valuable asset to the club. With most rescues occurring at Taieri Mouth, it was much needed.
''Eighty percent of rescues are done using IRBs,'' Mr Weatherall said.
