A Port Stephens beach is one of three which will remain patrolled by lifeguards throughout the winter months.
Traditionally patrols at One Mile Beach at Anna Bay end on June 30 and don’t pick back up until the end of September, but due to a number of recent incidents, the call has been made to continue.
Less than a fortnight ago, a man was pulled unconscious from the water at One Mile and thanks to the quick actions of Lifeguards who commenced CPR right away, he was taken to hospital in a serious but stable condition.
That was after a man drowned at Fingal Spit in April.
As a result Port Stephens Council has elected to continue the service with Lifeguards on duty between 9:00am and 4:00pm, 7 days a week at One Mile Beach – the decision also comes off the back of year-on-year data which shows attendance is growing during the off-season.
To compliment the continued service of the ALS, Surf Life Saving NSW is about to install an Emergency Response Beacon (ERB) at Fingal Spit with funding support from the NSW Government.
ERBs utilise the latest technology to connect the user straight to the SLSNSW State Operations Centre (SOC) where an operator can alert the nearest lifesavers, lifeguards or other emergency service.