A DAY at the beach has become synonymous with easy, carefree fun. For many of us in the Hunter, it is hard to imagine a more simple pleasure than the symphony of sand and surf that so much of our coastline offers up.
Yet it is a reality that such pleasant settings are also home to tragedies more often that most of us would care to consider. Lifeguards, however, must deal with this truth head-on. As reported on Saturday, the region's beaches are in the grips of a surge in rescues and people requiring help. Statewide, drownings at beaches have set a shocking pace as the toll climbs.
Swimming teacher shortages are also beginning to bite. Given our nation's island geography, it is perhaps harder to think of a more essential life skill than the ability to move through water. While COVID-19 and its associated lockdowns robbed us of simple pleasures, it is crucial it does not rob the next generation of a skill that could quite literally save their lives.
Beaches themselves have not become more dangerous in the past year, or at least the challenging conditions and larger post-COVID crowds alone are not responsible for the toll that is echoing through too many families and social circles even now. All of us must be realistic and cautious when we hit the water, and take time to learn the skills that can help us navigate conditions before getting into trouble.
While sharks may lurk in the imagination as the true threat at the beach, it is a much more mundane killer that demands our vigilance in the water. The safety measures that can prevent a quick dip becoming a lasting tragedy are simple. Swimming between the flags is as simple as buckling a seat belt, and perhaps as important.
Drownings on unpatrolled beaches offer a grim reminder that the safety lies between the flags, or at least within sight of a lifeguard tower, if not in our own hands.
"People should also know their ability," Lake Macquarie lifeguards team leader Lucas Samways said. "And parents bringing kids to the beach, make sure you keep them close to shore and close to you."
With scarcity an issue, learning to swim may be delayed for some. It is one more reason to be grateful for lifeguards and surf life savers watching over us all. The best way we can all repay them is making their job a day at the beach.
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