REMEMBER WHEN

GOLD COAST BULLETIN Saturday October 8, 2005

IT was expected to be the hottest October day recorded on the Gold Coast.

Temperatures were expected to soar to almost 37C, 10C above average, prompting lifesavers to be placed on full alert as thousands flocked to Gold Coast beaches for relief.

Up to 500 lifesavers and lifeguards were on patrol from Rainbow Bay to the Seaway to cope with the onslaught.

Firefighters also braced for a busy day, fearing a potential firestorm after spending the previous day trying to control several blazes in northern NSW.

The previous day, the temperature at both The Seaway and Coolangatta reached a maximum of just 25.8C at 2pm.

But in a taste of what was to come, lifeguards were involved in two rescues at Surfers Paradise beach and two at Elkhorn Ave. More rescues were expect with the increase in the number of beachgoers and unstable conditions expected on the outgoing tide.

“It did get a bit tricky out there and with the number of people expected at the beach, there could be more rescues tomorrow,’’ said council’s chief lifeguard Warren Young.

“It is unseasonably hot and that means people are hitting the beaches earlier than usual but we are ready.’’

Gold Coast Lifesaving Services co-ordinator Stuart Hogben urged people to swim between the flags.

“It could get very nasty out there tomorrow. There are a few rips out there and that will be our major concern, if the conditions pick up. There are some sections along the coastline where you have to walk 500 to 600 metres to get to a flagged area and people can become a bit lax.”