Stay safe, guys!

With the school holidays kicking off and temperatures heating up, many of us Coasties are flocking to the stunning beaches along our beautiful stretch of coastline.

But before we go haywire with the sunscreen and beach umbrellas, we are being reminded to make our safety a priority while on the shores.  

Beach goers are being reminded to only swim at the Central Coast’s 15 patrolled locations, and to only head into the water when a lifeguard is on duty.

The fifteen patrolled beaches on the Central Coast include:

  • Lakes Beach
  • Soldiers Beach
  • The Entrance North
  • The Entrance
  • Toowoon Bay
  • Shelly Beach
  • Wamberal Beach
  • Terrigal Beach
  • North Avoca Beach
  • Avoca Beach
  • Copacabana Beach
  • Macmasters Beach
  • Killcare Beach
  • Ocean Beach
  • Umina Beach

The Grant McBride Baths will also be supervised until the 30th April, and Budgewoi Beach will have an added patrol until 1st February.

Up until 1st February, all locations will be patrolled from 9am -6pm, with the exceptions of Umina, Avoca and Terrigal beaches which will be patrolled one hour longer from 8am – 6pm. The Grant McBride Baths will be patrolled from 9am – 6pm.

With over 3 million visitors anticipated on patrolled Central Coast beaches this season, Major Jane Smith is stressing the importance of safety on our local beaches and the important work Council lifeguards and Surf Lifesaving members do on the Coast.

“With an anticipated 3 million visitors using these patrolled beach locations throughout the beach season it’s necessary that people are advised about the importance of beach safety.

“As we head into the busy patrol season, I’d like to remind beach goers about the vital work Council lifeguards and Surf Lifesaving members do to keep us safe.”

To stay safe at the beach, the best things to do are:

  • Only swim at patrolled beaches
  • Only swim between the red and yellow flags
  • Remember – if the lifeguards can’t see you, they can’t save you
  • If you do get into difficulty, remain calm, float and raise your arm to signal for help.
  • Never swim if you’re feeling unwell or have been drinking alcohol
  • Red and yellow flags indicate supervised and patrolled areas
  • Black and white flags indicate surf craft exclusion zones

 

SEE ALSO: Top 5 walks on the Central Coast 

SEE ALSO: 5 amazing places on the Central Coast to add to your bucketlist 

 

Written by Kate Stevens

Images: Supplied