Hidden danger lurking at D-bah
LIFEGUARDS have a blunt message to swimmers wanting to take a dip at the internationally renowned Duranbah Beach: Stay away.
The Australian Lifeguard Service warned the public of the “havoc” being caused by the dangerous rip three days before international student Ravneet Singh Gill, 22, was killed on Christmas Day
Yesterday, lifeguards also revealed members of the public had saved at least four people in separate rescues this month.
Despite the warnings, multiple signs and Mr Singh’s death, families frolicked in the surf yesterday.
D-bah beach, officially known as Flagstaff Beach, attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year for its consistent surfing waves. But that lure is masking the hidden danger for bathers, authorities say.
Northern NSW lifeguard coordinator Scott McCartney said D-bah’s popularity meant countless rescues went unrecorded because surfers stepped in to save swimmers.
“We know there are always rescues by surfers that never get logged,” Mr McCartney said. “It’s quite consistent.”
Mr McCartney said lifeguards took the unusual step of not having flagged swimming areas because the high number of surfers riding close to shore made it unsafe.
“It’s mainly not flagged because on a good day you can get close to a thousand surfers down there and (they surf) really close to shore so the majority of the time it would probably be more dangerous to put the flags up,” he said.
“People want to come and swim there, but we’re trying to tell people that’s not the case. It’s a surfer’s beach. For swimming we try to tell everyone to go to Snapper and Greenmount where you have two of the safest beaches in Australia.”
Tweed Shire Council was so concerned about drownings in northern NSW, for the first time it commissioned sevenday lifeguard resources through the summer months.
Mr McCartney said 12 people were saved at D-bah on Christmas Day, most from the big rip straight out in front.
He said a rip running up the middle of the beach was the main reason for rescues. For the past few months, a persistent channel has formed in the middle of the beach catching swimmers unaware.
“Down the beach you’ll see waves breaking either side of that rip and think it’s the best spot to swim, but it’s actually the most dangerous part of the beach,” he said.
Australian Lifeguard Service Tweed Heads supervisor Angus MacPhail said swimmers should keep away.
“We recommend people don’t swim there. It’s unflagged because of that reason.”
Surf Life Saving Queensland Gold Coast duty officer Ken Lloyd said he hoped the death was not the beginning of a bad lifesaving season.
“At Duranbah you usually have really capable surfers. It’s unfortunate the surf was so inviting swimmers went down and met a tragic end. The smaller it is potentially the more deadly it is because it looks so inviting.”