We Say, You Say: Beach Safety

Neighbourly.co.nz

Hi Auckland,

Do you know how to spot a rip?

A study conducted by Surf Lifesaving New Zealand at Muriwai Beach found that 78 per cent of beach goers could not identify a rip current.

One geomorphologist involved in the study spotted a "well-established" rip offshore and asked individuals at the beach to point it out.

The vast majority could not do so.

According to SLSNZ, around 80 per cent of rescues made were from people getting stuck in rips. They say that the easiest way to identify them is to spot calm strips of water that are flanked by breaking waves.

“They commonly occur in deeper channels that are cut between sandbars, which means waves don’t break as much in the rip current – this means that beachgoers often mistake them as the safest areas to swim because the water looks so calm when compared to the breaking waves either side.”

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