Piha
Surf Club
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President: Larry Rountree: larry.rountree@aon.co.nz The club provides volunteer lifeguard patrols on weekends and public holidays from Labour Weekend in October to Easter. From mid-December to early February Regional Lifeguards are on duty on week days. The club is affiliated to Surf Life Saving Northern region and is part of the regional radio network linking all clubs from Whangarei to Raglan. |
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Check out patrol hours by the boat ramp in front of the surf club. Lifeguards wear bright yellow and red uniforms - the colour of their patrol flags. Piha has a reputation for the most surf rescues of any New Zealand club. It is the scene of many major incidents involving rescue helicopters. The rugged location and size of the surf make lifeguarding particularly challenging and the club is equipped to handle surf rescues, rescues involving rock fishermen, incidents on rock faces, road traffic crashes and accidents in the bush of the Waitakere Ranges. The club has a range of rescue equipment including Inflatable Rescue Boats, rescue tubes, rescue boards, and backup of the rescue helicopter. There is an extensive array of emergence care and first aid equipment. |
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| The club also provides a full range of surf sports and competition at a club, district and national level, with beach events, water events, skis, boards, canoes, IRBs and surf boat. Piha joins with nearby United and Karekare clubs for competitive and social events. Past and present members have represented the club at district and national level. There is a JuniorSurf Programme for children 7-13 years, which includes a Skills Recognition - Achievement Awards programme and regular Sunday 'Nippers' training. Subs for active and associate members are $60 annually, $30 for juniors and $120 for families. Check out their other facilities. Contact email: piha@lifesaving.org.nz |
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Photo: Nick Kinghorn with his well-earned awards for surf rescues. Photo Sandra Coney Piha Surf Club manager Nick Kinghorn recently
collected a string of awards for surf rescues. Among the glittering awards,
the Rescue of the Year from the Surf Life Saving Northern Region for his
rescue of a man
swimming on an unpatrolled part of North Piha beach. Waitakere Sports
Trust awarded Nick the Volunteer of the Year award for single-handed rescues
at Piha. Many of Nick's rescues have been made outside patrol hours when
no one else is around.
Two people had a lucky escape on Friday 10 December after they were plucked from a savage rip at North Piha. The two men had apparently overlooked the new warnings signs, erected after a double drowning at Labour Day weekend, and walked into the surf at a dangerous, unpatrolled area of the beach. Locals commented that they must have walked right by the crosses and wreathes left by the South African families whose family members drowned.
Nick Kinghorn (left), manager of the Piha Surf Club, swam out to the two men in difficulties. They were being supported on the board of a surfer (second from left) who had gone out to support them. With the assistance of a helicopter the two men were winched out and taken to hospital by ambulance. The rescuers are being interviewed by a TV3 news team. Photo: Sandra Coney
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