HUNDREDS of lives were saved, boaters were rescued, tragedy struck for some swimmers and heroic volunteers again proved they were well worth their salt when people flocked to beaches, pools and waterways this summer.
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Rescue crews have looked back on what they described as a "very busy" summer season, and at times tragic.
Surf Life Saving NSW Hunter president Henry Scruton said there had been "terrific crowds" right along the coastline through December, January and February.
In a trend noticed last summer and continuing to increase, he said visitors from Western Sydney had been flocking to Newcastle and Port Stephens for a swim.
"We've had a lot of crowds at the beaches," he said.
Towards the end of summer on a Saturday evening, two boogie boarders that had not long ago arrived in Australia were pulled from a rip by off-duty mother-and-son life savers and a surfer near Cooks Hill surf club.
The beach was empty, the sky was overcast and all lifeguards had gone home for the day when the off-duty life savers noticed the boarders struggling in a rip and leapt into action.
The exhausted boys were brought back to the wave zone and the group on the shore was kept calm. They were assessed on the beach but didn't need further medical help.
Mr Scruton said off-duty lifesavers had performed other out-of-hours rescues along the Merewether to Bar stretch of beaches during the summer months, avoiding incidents that "could have been a lot more serious".
After a string of incidents at Port Stephens beaches including at least two drownings in December, extra dusk patrols were launched, extending coverage to 7pm at Fingal and Birubi.
"It was terrific - during their dusk patrols we had no further incidents," Mr Scruton said.
"We're looking forward at how to maintain that for the next season."
A 33-year-old man died after being pulled from the water at the Anna Bay end of Stockton Beach on December 27 and a woman was rushed to hospital.
It came less than two weeks after a Western Sydney father died at the nearby Birubi Beach.
Just last month, a rock fisherman was swept off rocks at Fingal Island in rough seas and a massive search failed to find a trace of him.
Despite the dangers, summer's hot weather saw thousands flock to Hunter beaches, from Catherine Hill Bay to Port Stephens.
Mr Scruton thanked the Surf Life Saving NSW crews, and said a warm start to autumn meant their work was far from over.
"They are absolutely wonderful people and they do it for the community - there's no big pat on the back and certainly no pay," he said.
He reminded all beachgoers to swim between the flags.
Across Australia, volunteer life savers carried out 5700 rescues, 25,000 first aid treatments and 1.3 million preventative actions.
Police and crime reporter at the Newcastle Herald. Email: afalkenmire@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Police and crime reporter at the Newcastle Herald. Email: afalkenmire@austcommunitymedia.com.au
