A lifeguard running towards the water. Photo / Supplied
A lifeguard running towards the water. Photo / Supplied
With lakes, the forest and other charms of nature, Rotorua is a great place for outdoor play.
And its central location means a day-trip to the beach on a summer's day is always on the cards.
However, a study - conducted as part of a collaboration between Surf Life Saving New Zealand (SLSNZ) and beach safety experts at the universities of Canterbury, Auckland, Waikato, and UNSW Sydney - found most beachgoers were unable to accurately identify rips.
On average, five people fatally drown in rip currents on New Zealand beaches each year and a further 700 people need rescue.
Regional water safety strategy manager Dave White says as a surf lifeguard for 17 years, he is unsurprised by the study result.
"Although there's a lot of education out there on rips, beachgoers still fail to spot them in a real environment.
"Unfortunately, rips aren't always glaringly obvious and I've definitely noticed some of our beachgoers swimming outside of flagged areas – sometimes even in a rip itself."
He says the scary part is these swimmers are quite often oblivious to the fact they're swimming in a rip, and all it takes is for the rip to become a little stronger one day and these swimmers will quickly find themselves in trouble.
Dave says there's a misconception that rips are glaringly obvious and that if you can't spot it straight away then it's not there.
"This couldn't be further from the truth. Rips can occur on any day, regardless of swell size, so sometimes you need to take the time to observe the beach to see if there's one present."
He says key giveaways of a rip are - calm patches with waves breaking each side, a ripple pattern, and discoloured water. Rips also form around rocks and headlands.
"There's plenty of excellent information on the Surf Lifesaving NZ website including videos and images – I recommend everyone check it out before heading to the beach this summer."
A rip current. Photo / Supplied
SLSNZ Eastern region manager Chase Cahalane says around 80 per cent of all rescues carried out are caused by people being in rips, and that this is a figure which was in line with what they saw in the SLSNZ Eastern region, particularly Bay of Plenty.
"We have big stretches of surf and exposed beaches here, but unfortunately a big part of our population are unable to identify rips."
He suggests that research should be done before people go to the beach, such as checking the swells and surf.
He says once at the beach people should check the conditions again and swim between the flags if there is a flagged area.
"If you swim between the flags you know you won't be in rips and you have people watching you."
He also says some of the easiest distinguishing factors when looking for rips include calm spots where waves are breaking on each side and if the water is a little discoloured from the rest of the ocean.
"Often you see a lot of sand stirred up, and potentially bubbles or foam."
Chase suggests people don't go swimming on the beach alone and stay within their limits.
He says if things still go pear-shaped and you end up in a rip, remember the three Rs: relaxing, raising you hand and riding the rip.
If you do get caught in a rip, remember the 3rs - RELAX and float to conserve your energy - RAISE your hand to signal for help - RIDE the rip until it stops and you can swim back to shore or help arrives
