On a calm day swim to horizon

SOME years ago, to a nation of sports followers, the member of a commentary team maligned an old friend of mine.

My friend, he insisted, was dangerous, and something of a blot on the otherwise scenic and welcoming seaside city of Napier.

I was offended, and my only consolation was the realisation that, as a visitor, he had never actually taken the time, or opportunity, to get to know my friend better.

My friend is the Napier foreshore.

That 3km stretch of shingle and sea which runs from the reserve at the port end along to the boundary at Ellison St.

It is a beach I know well. I grew up across the road from that seafront and it became a good friend for me and my mates.

We would watch it in awe during storms and wallow in its water when it glittered blue and benign.

No rips, no hidden rocks or holes. Yes, there was a sharp falling away of the seafloor but if you could float, tread water or swim, then there were no issues. None.

We read the conditions. Daunting rollers and clear and present undertows (the swirling back wash) meant it was perhaps better to wander the shore rather than leave it for a dip.

But on clear and fine days it was as good and safe a swim as anywhere.

Safer than many a sandy beach, which while pleasant on the eye and like magnets to many, can become silent menaces in that they can throw up uneven waves and uneven rips and currents.

You only have to watch television shows such as Australia's Bondi Rescue and our own Piha Rescue to be reminded that the ocean can be a trap. They are beaches where rips and channels and holes emerge to cruelly grab the unwary. They look friendly but they can turn quickly.

I was saddened to hear of the 12-year-old boy who went missing after entering an unpatrolled area of a popular beach on Auckland's notorious west coast on Thursday. Bethell's Beach draws big numbers, and some of those swimmers stroll along to the unpatrolled neighbouring O'Neill Bay, where the boy was lost.

Rips and strong currents plague the stretch, but the modest waves which roll in and the vast spread of sand is all so inviting.

The shingles of Napier Beach are not so inviting as they tend to singe the feet and there is little in the way or recreational use for it (as opposed to wet sand).

But the waters, when at their calmest, are a welcome tonic.

Those unsure of the waters or their abilities have a fine patrolled area at the northern end.

Interestingly, a quick check of Westshore beach yesterday revealed some 20 metres of sand leading from the ugly shingle walls to the westerly-flattened waters.

It was one of its better days, although the sobering touch was spotting a warning sign which declared "unexpected waves" and "sudden drop-off."

It has changed. Morphing closer to becoming like the Napier Beach which had long been a poor relation to Westshore.

But like any good old friend, this one hasn't changed at all since I was a kid.

On a good day it is a beaut and does not deserve a "dangerous" tag.

It is like any stretch of coast. Respect it and (when its mood gets a little ugly) if in doubt, stay out.