Wharf wardens defuse bomb risk
Wardens have had to step in to monitor the Kiwi tradition of doing bombs from the wharf at a holiday hotspot.
Whangamata wharf proves popular for young and old as swimmers dive off from various levels of the structure.
But a new initiative by the Thames District Council has seen them install wharf wardens as the number of fishermen, charter boats and swimmers sharing a confined space increases.
‘‘It has been a dangerous spot for a long time because of the currents,’’ wharf warden Daya Thomson said. ‘‘And given the number of people there really needs to be someone here fulltime in the summer time.’’
On Boxing Day there were up to 40 people jumping off the wharf.
There have been safety concerns in the Whangamata harbour, particularly after Waikato teenager Amie Louise Russell died in a stand-up paddle-boarding accident in January 2015.
The 15 year old’s leg rope became tangled on the keel of a yacht, holding her underwater.
She was unable to be revived when she was brought ashore.
There are many potential hazards: boats coming in and out of the area and people jumping off one side before being swept underneath to the other side where other swimmers are jumping.
The wharf is now separated into designated fishing and swimming areas in a hope to keep people safe.
‘‘People are adapting to the new initiative well, the locals have been the hardest to convince that they need to stick to the designated areas.’’
There are three wharf wardens that are on patrol between December 26 and February 6, from 8am to 8pm, although tide times could extend this out to 9.30pm.
The wardens aren’t lifeguards but they are fully trained in first aid.
The biggest injury so far has been a cut knee which required a band-aid.
The Whangamata surf lifesavers do conduct patrols of the harbour during the day.
It’s a spot that offers those swimmers not keen on breakers a place to enjoy themselves, the wardens say.
They also host diving, bombing and biggest splash competitions - the participants and winners are rewarded with a chocolate fish.
‘‘It is amazing that we have all sorts of people bombing off the wharf, young and old. We even have dogs that jump off swim to shore and then run back in and jump in again.’’