Beach safety tips
1. Swim only at lifeguard patrolled beaches
2. Always swim between the red and yellow flags
3. Listen to advice from lifeguards
4. Follow the advice of safety signs
5. Always swim with a friend and under adult supervision
6. Never run and dive into the water
7. Never swim under the influence of alcohol or drugs
8. Don’t depend on flotation devices as you can lose them
9. Be aware of rip currents
10. Don’t wear long clothing in the water
11. If you get into trouble raise your arm for assistance, float and wait for help
12. Stay out if in doubt about the surf conditions or your own ability
Rips
Surf beaches are notorious for their large waves and “rips” – which often catch swimmers off-guard and can quickly drag them out to sea. Rips are channels of swift moving water returning to sea after the waves have piled up against the shore. Rips are dangerous when swimmers panic or get tired by fighting against them to return to shore.
Identifying rips
1. Calm patches in the surf with waves breaking either side
2. Rippled or criss-crossed water
3. Darker water due to depth or sand stirred up off the bottom
4. Foamy water with debris extending beyond the surf break
Watch the ocean for at least 10 minutes before entering the water and always avoid the above areas. Even lifeguards sometimes find rips hard to identify. If in doubt, stay out of the water.
If you are caught in a rip:
• Stay calm and conserve your energy. Panic is a killer.
• If you are a weak swimmer, float with the current and try to swim parallel to the shore until reaching the breaking wave zone, then swim back to shore or signal for help.
• If you are a strong swimmer, swim at a 45 degree angle across the rip in the same direction as the current until you reach the breaking wave zone, then return to shore
