While St Kilda Surf Life Saving Club head guard Madi Loudon said the water at the popular beach was only about 15°C yesterday, a surprising number of hardy Dunedinites had still been keen to brave the frigid waters over the past few weeks.
That meant lifeguards remained on duty and eagle-eyed for anyone in trouble — rain, hail or shine.
"We’re getting a few Christmas and New Years people who are coming down, wanting to have a swim.
"But they’ve just been in and out — very quickly.
"It’s pretty cold out there.
"It’s been pretty consistent. We get swimmers each day.
"We’ve also got people who have got new boogie boards for Christmas as well.
However, there were definitely fewer people at the beach and life as a lifeguard had been quieter than usual.
And the weather forecast for next week is not looking flash either.
MetService is forecasting rain from Tuesday through to next Saturday, and temperatures are expected to range from the mid-teens to 21°C.
"Hopefully the weather picks up the week after," Miss Loudon said.
"We’re crossing our fingers."
Surf lifesavers will be patrolling Dunedin beaches during the week until the end of January, and volunteers will continue to patrol on the weekends until mid-March.
