Red and yellow flags go back up as patrol season commences

The iconic red and yellow flags back up on beaches this weekend as thousands of surf lifesaving volunteers return to the NSW coastline for the 2024/25 Surf Life Saving Patrol Season.

It’s the time of the year when the flags go up, the cossies come out and the surf is good. Beachgoers can swim easy knowing the red and yellow flags are up again ahead of another swim season.

Minister for Emergency Services Jihad Dib joined life savers at Coogee Beach in Sydney on Saturday to mark the commencement of the patrol season, which runs until 27 April next year and will see more than 21,000 active Surf Life Saving NSW (SLSNSW) volunteers out in force on the state’s beaches.

Surf Lifesaving volunteers Ruby Leo-Abood, Jake McNally and Tom Hetherington raise the iconic flag. Picture: Richard Dobson

They are more important than ever before with data showing volunteers and lifeguards performed more than 4400 rescues and about 1.1 million preventive actions last patrol season.

For Clovelly local and life saver Thomas Hetherington, it marks the chance to do his two favourite things — helping out the community and spending his days on his beloved beaches.

The 20-year-old has been a part of the SLSNSW community since he was seven years old and said he can’t wait to dive in and get started again this year.

“Everyone waits for it, it brings the whole club together and the whole community. It’s a family tradition in my family. You’re not just going to the beach — you’re helping out the community,” he said.

SLSNSW will roll out a several new initiatives this season, including a new centralised repository for coastal lifesaving and lifeguard data.

There’s hope the data hub will help state and local governments better understand when services should be delivered and where rescue assets are located to help reduce response times to incidents along the NSW coastline.

Life savers will also have access to new equipment including 14 new jet skis, 11 upgraded rescue operation vehicles and eight new emergency response beacons — plus a new water safety campaign.

Last year, there were 61 coastal drownings, all of which occurred at unpatrolled locations or outside of patrol hours.

SLSNSW responded to 805 emergency call-outs, deploying lifesaving assets including rescue boats, jet skis, drones and helicopters.

During the patrol season, volunteer surf lifesavers monitor 129 NSW beaches on the weekends and public holidays.

Outside patrol season, many NSW beaches are monitored by Council lifeguards.

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Originally published as Red and yellow flags go back up as patrol season commences