Are New Zealand Beaches safe?
I love the beach. I was there today, at my usual haunt – Riversdale. It’s been a tremendously tough week, and going there is always the best way to deal with it.
The tide was all the way in. Everyone on the beach was sitting up in the dunes, and it was pretty spectacular. Usually the sea is a fair way out.
Now – I love beaches with honking great waves. I’m not a surfer, but myself and my family have always enjoyed the beaches with the huge waves – we just get pummelled by them rather than try and ride them.
So it was with a huge amount of rapture today that we got to Riversdale to find ginormous waves, crashing down the whole length of the beach. We didn’t sit down and relax for a while first – we just headed straight in.
Blimey – the sea was so strong. Within minutes – we were deep enough in that the water was up to our waists – but the waves were so big, that by the time we could stand up after being bowled over by one – the water was up to our necks. A few times – I couldn’t reach the bottom. It was so much fun!
But we also have to be very careful. You see, the waves were that strong – we couldn’t always stand up, and ended up getting dragged into shore – often along the beach as well. And at the same time, as the sea rolled back out – it would drag us out to sea. The strength was phenomenal! (Does that count as a workout???). Trying to stand in one place was pretty difficult, and we both got tired pretty quickly.
One of the reasons I like Riversdale so much is that it is a Patrolled Beach – with DHL Surf Lifeguards looking after it during the high season. I have always had a healthy respect for the sea: while it is a lot of fun – it can kill you if you don’t take the dangers seriously.
This is especially so with New Zealand beaches. Please don’t assume that it is safe to swim at them. Many of them contain Riptides or Rip currents – and if you are not a strong swimmer – or panic – you can end up an ex-swimmer pretty fast.
This is serious.
There have been 13 drownings at New Zealand Beaches so far this year – and it’s only the 17th! If you can’t swim, then learn. Hubby didn’t lean how to swim until about 9 years ago (he was banned from school swimming lessons because they thought it was more important to force him to write Right-handed). Now he is actually a very good swimmer – and gets to enjoy mucking around with huge waves as much as the rest of us.
Riversdale surf lifesaving club runs classes to teach children how to deal with the beach safely – so it’s worth looking for a local version – and getting your kids enrolled.
And learn how to spot rips! Loving Long Island.com actually has a fantastic page on Rip Currents – with useful pictures that tell you what you need to look for.
Most importantly – if you are at a beach in New Zealand with signs up saying it’s not safe to swim – then don’t go in the water. Rip Tides can pull you out to sea even if you are just standing in relative shallow water.
Enjoy the beaches in New Zealand – they are stunning – just don’t be stupid.
Watersafe Auckland has a list of safety tips.
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