Waikuku's version of 'Piha Rescue'

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Members of the Waikuku Beach Surf Lifesaving Club in action. Photo: Helena Cook
Members of the Waikuku Beach Surf Lifesaving Club in action. Photo: Helena Cook
Life's a beach for Helena Cook. The Waikuku Beach Surf Lifesaving Club lifeguard captain is looking forward to returning home for the summer after university exams.

Helena, aged 20, a second-year commerce student at the University of Canterbury, has been a lifeguard since she was 14, spending her teenage years growing up at Waikuku Beach.

''You literally live at the beach over the summer. It's brilliant.

"It's fun, and it's not just standing between the flags,'' Helena Cook says.
"It's fun, and it's not just standing between the flags,'' Helena Cook says.
''We are a smaller scale of Piha Rescue or Baywatch. You do your shift between the flags and go and do some training, or you're out on the board or in the boat.

''It just becomes part of your life, really.''

The Waikuku Beach club is the only active surf lifesaving club between the Waimakariri River and Marlborough, and it is recruiting for the new season.

An information session will be held at the clubrooms at Waikuku Beach on Saturday, October 5, from 10am, followed by an open day at 9.40am the next Saturday for new and prospective members.

The club has one of the largest memberships in the country, thanks largely to the number of children learning to swim at Waikuku Beach.

But new, prospective lifeguards and volunteers are always welcome, as the club seeks to fill volunteer patrols on the beach each weekend from Show Weekend until March 15.

Helena says all ages are welcome, with children's lessons offered from age 6, with rookie training offered from 12 and lifeguard awards available from 14.

''You can also do it at age 30. We've got 10 to 15 adult lifeguards, so it's not just teenagers.

''It's fun, and it's not just standing between the flags. There's ongoing training and we travel to other clubs, and then there's the competition side of it, which is huge.

''For me, it's the feeling of being part of something so big, with clubs all round the country. It's like a big red-and-yellow family.''

There is also an award for patrol support for anyone unable to meet the fitness requirements, and committee members are always needed.

''You still do first aid, VHF radio and patrol on the beach, so you don't have to run 5km or swim long distances to be involved,'' Helena says.

Teenagers who train to be lifeguards can gain work over the summer holidays as part of regional patrols, patrolling beaches on week-days during December and January at Pegasus, Waikuku, Woodend and Christchurch beaches.

''It's an opportunity for young people to learn skills, gain experience and meet people, and even gain some employment,'' Helena says.

''You get life skills and connections with people from a range of different industries which you don't otherwise gain until you go into the workforce.''