Free bar crossing seminars in Maketū to improve boatie safety

A bar crossing seminar will be held at Maketū Coastguard on November 30.

Harbour and river bar crossings are some of the most dangerous for Kiwi boaties.

Coastguard volunteers attend multiple incidents, including fatalities, every year.

Alongside New Zealand Sport Fishing Council and local fishing and boating clubs, the organisation is setting out to lower the rate with a nationwide Bar Awareness Seminar Roadshow that will call in at Maketū at the end of the month.

The free bar awareness seminars are designed to equip boaties with the skills, knowledge and confidence to make good decisions about whether to cross a bar. The seminars cover critical topics, including understanding bar-specific hazards, assessing the impact of weather and tides, and implementing emergency procedures if trouble occurs.

To further support boaties from diverse communities, there is also a bar awareness education video with subtitles in seven languages: te reo Māori, Chinese, Samoan, Tongan, Cook Island Māori, Fijian, and Thai.

“Understanding the risks associated with crossing river and harbour bars is critical for anyone going out on the water. Things can happen even to the most experienced boatie, whether it’s their first or 100th time crossing,” says community engagement manager Nātia Tucker.

“We know that bars change all the time, so our bar awareness seminars and accompanying videos offer practical up to date advice from local volunteers and experts who cross these bars regularly.”

New Zealand Sport Fishing Council communications and operations lead Mike Plant says the council of clubs is investing in making sure club members make if home safe after a day on the water.

“That’s why we have teamed up with the Coastguard to rollout this programme. After all, even the fish of a lifetime is not worth losing your life over,” .

Over the past decade, New Zealand has witnessed 826 preventable drowning deaths, 31 of which occurred while crossing a river or harbour bar.

Of those 31 people were from one of New Zealand’s many ethnic communities, including Chinese, Cook Island Māori, Thai and Tongan.

Earlier this month, three lives were lost in a bar crossing incident in Riverton, Southland, with Coastguard volunteers rescuing two people from the water.

“We want our videos to be accessible for a wide range of New Zealanders, especially for some of whom English is a second language. Of course, we still encourage them to attend a seminar in their region to get the most up-to-date information on their local bar,” says Coastguard bar safety programme lead Simon Marshall.

Details:

What: Bar Crossing Seminar

Where: Coastguard Maketū (Kaituna Cut)

When: November 30 at Coastguard Maketū.

Cost: Free

Sign-up: Coastguard New Zealand website.