With more than 11,000 beaches on a coastline spanning 37,000 kilometers-plus, it's no wonder that Australian holidays are synonymous with sun, sea and surf.
But every visitor to any Australian beach needs to understand some basic surf safety rules -- for their own sake.
Volunteer life savers and professional life guards patrol many -- but not all -- Australian beaches; and not all year round.
Surf Lifesaving Australia advises that the easiest way to remember surf safety is to think of FLAGS:
- Flags -- red and yellow -- indicate the safest places to swim, in an area that is patrolled. Only swim between the flags.
- Look at safety signs on the approach to a beach. They provide additional updates on water conditions (such as whether there is an undertow or 'rip' or whether blue-bottle stingers have been sighted).
- Ask a lifeguard about conditions, if still unsure of the water.
- Go into the water with other. Never swim alone.
- Signal for help with a raised straight arm, calling for help.
Beach Safety Signs to Know
The red-and-yellow flag that denotes a safe zone is used throughout Australia.
A solid red flag means conditions are dangerous. Do not enter the water.
A solid yellow flag means swim with caution.
A silhouette of a surf board rider with a directional arrow indicates where surfing is permitted. Surf boards are not allowed within the red-and-yellow swim zone. Smaller boogie boards are permitted.
Beach Safety Advice
- Never swim at an unpatrolled beach, no matter how inviting it looks.
- Do not swim in the surf at night.
- Never swim alone.
- Do not swim after consuming alcohol.
- Wait at least 20 minutes after a meal before swimming.
- Never run and dive into the water.
What to Do If Caught in a Rip
A rip is a strong seaward-moving water current. They are very common in Australian beach waters. Do not panic. Rather than fight the current, float. Only strong swimmers should try to swim, at an angle, across the rip.
Clothing-Optional Beaches in Australia
Unlike many European beaches, sun bathing sans clothes is not acceptable on public beaches in Australia. There are no legal nudist beaches in Queensland (although a number of 'unofficial' beaches exist that are out of the way, and not patrolled by surf life savers). A few states have both 'unofficial' and 'official' clothing-optional beaches. The Free Beach Association, a lobby group supporting naturists' wishes to go au naturale , provides a comprehensive list of Australian clothing-optional beaches.
Unusual Beach Conditions to Know About in Northern Australia
Northern Australia, from Broome in Western Australia along the Northern Territory Coast to Mackay in Queensland' on the eastern seaboard, has some unusual -- and dangerous -- beach conditions visitors need to be aware of.
- Saltwater crocodiles call the creeks, estuaries, rivers, lagoons, swamps -- and beaches -- of tropical northern Australia 'home'. Saltwater crocs grow up to seven metres (male) and feed on large prey: horses, cattle, pigs, wallabies and even people. Attacks on people are not frequent but do happen every year; usually because of visitors not taking precautions near water. Signs are prominently displayed near waterways to warn against swimming in crocodile territory.
- 'Stinger season' stops swimming in the sea in northern Australia between October and April. This is when the world's deadliest marine stingers -- the Irukandji and the box jelly fish --are present.
Great Barrier Reef: Stinger Free
Although the Great Barrier Reef is in nothern Australian waters, neither crocodiles nor deadly stingers are found. Swimming, snorkeling and diving is safe year-round.
Suite 101's article Budget Gold Coast Holidays suggests things to do beyond the surf and sand at one of Australia's most popular beach destinations, Queensland's Gold Coast.
Heather Grant - Heather Grant is a freelance journalist based in Brisbane, Australia. She's spent the best part of the last 20 years juggling writing ...
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