Shellharbour City Council's 2023-24 aquatics season officially begins this Saturday 23 September.
Mayor Chris Homer said Council's aquatics team would be working hard to keep the community and visitors to the area safe during what is expected to be a hot summer season.
Council lifeguards will begin patrols at Warilla Central Beach, Shellharbour North Beach and Beverley Whitfield Ocean Pool from 9.30am to 5pm daily during the school holidays. Weekend beach patrols are conducted by volunteer lifesavers.
Patrols change slightly during and after the Christmas school holidays, so be sure to follow Council's social media and check the website for details as the year progresses.
Oak Flats pool is open every day between 6am to 7pm from 24 September. As is Council's usual practice, Albion Park and Warilla swimming pools will open at the end of October.
Mayor Homer said that Council had a strong and diverse team of lifeguards who would be helping keep people safe over the September to April beach season.
"I'm looking forward to seeing our community getting out and safely enjoying our beaches and waterways," Mayor Homer said.
"But all beach environments have the potential to be hazardous depending on the conditions. Many of the major incidents our lifeguards attend to occur in unsupervised/unpatrolled zones that are part of our response area," he said.
"It is predicted to be a hot summer so we are expecting large numbers of people in the water. I want to encourage people to go back to the basics.
"In any aquatic environment - regardless of your age or experience - always swim between the red and yellow flags, avoid swimming alone, read safety signage, and remember to protect your skin from the sun," he said.
"Council has a fantastic team of lifeguards who can answer any questions about how to stay safe while enjoying Shellharbour City's beautiful aquatic environment," he said.
Last season Shellharbour City Council patrolled six beaches as well as Beverley Whitfield Ocean Pool, supervising 364,681 people over 214 days.
Council lifeguards were involved in 117 rescues (up from 63 the previous season) using a range of equipment including rescue watercraft (jet ski), rescue board and rescue tube.
They undertook 6658 preventative actions, highlighting dangers and risks associated with water activities. These included public announcements, water surveillance utilising personal watercraft or rescue boards, roving patrols using all-terrain vehicles, and installing warning signs highlighting dangers.
Council's lifeguards were also involved 16 emergency incidents that were either tasked from the state operations centre attended by emergency services.
