A TRANSFORMATIONAL season on the region's beaches will come to a close early next week, with patrols due to decrease.
At Lake Macquarie, figures provided by the council showed crowd numbers were down nearly 40 per cent across the most recent season due to conditions "not seen along the city's coast for decades". In Lake Macquarie hazardous surf forced 100 beach closures, comfortably beating rips (18), storms and lightning (15) and poor water quality (four) for the most. Shark sightings closed the beach only six times this season, down from 16 the year before.
The smaller crowds failed to offer a reprieve for lifeguards, who performed 160 rescues and first aid for almost 900 people during the stretch.
Senior beach lifeguard Lucas Samways said the rescue numbers closely matched the season before despite the drop in beachgoers.
"It points to the fact that conditions have been quite hazardous, and people have been keen to get out there and swim on the few sunny days we've had," he said.
The end of the season on Monday means lifeguards will no longer patrol Redhead, Blacksmiths, Caves Beach and Catherine Hill Bay. Newcastle services will also reduce from Monday, although Nobbys, Bar and Merewether Beach are patrolled all year round.
Mr Samways said the frequently treacherous surf conditions, last month's destructive east coast low and subsequent erosion along the coast had all contributed to lower visitor numbers.
"We haven't seen the frequency or intensity of some of these weather events for many years, and that has certainly had an impact on the number of people coming to the beach," he said.
"We've also had some unusual conditions, including the sea foam that enveloped our beaches beyond the normal high-water mark, and the east coast low swell that made it all the way up to the Redhead surf club building."
Lake Macquarie mayor Kay Fraser said the lifeguards had been exemplary in an unusual year.
Over winter, lifeguards will visit schools to teach the basics of first aid and surf safety.
While the patrolled beach season comes to an end this weekend, Council lifeguards will remain busy throughout the cooler months.
Patrols are scheduled to ramp up again in September.
