Life guards have hoisted the flags and are back on duty with the 2024/25 beach season kicking off this weekend.
More than 30 lifeguards will be on patrol between 9am and 5pm seven days a week.
Those hours will extend to 6pm for the Christmas school holiday period.
Over 800,000 people made their way to Hunter’s shores last summer, with more than a million expected to flock to the this season.
Past crowd counts show in Lake Macquarie Redhead beach is the most popular, followed by Caves, Catherine Hill and Blacksmiths.
Volunteers at Hunter Surf Life Saving carried out over 300 rescues and provided first aid on over 1,000 occasions in the past season. In Lake Macquarie there were around 50 major incidents and 120 rescues.
Image: Supplied.