Lifeguard Lenny – Swim In The Flags

By Dan Hutton on December 15, 2010 in

Hi everyone, Lenny the Lifeguard here, ready to deliver another potentially life saving beach safety tip.

This month I’m talking about the areas on the beach that are patrolled, which are marked by red and yellow flags,

Please make sure you swim between the flags this summer. Here in the Eastern Suburbs we have some pretty big beaches and it is difficult to keep a close eye on the entire beach all of the time. Also, there are some dangerous rips out there and we don’t want to see swimmers getting caught in them. Riders of various surf craft can also pose a hazard to swimmers who enter the water outside of the patrolled areas.

For these reasons, we set up the red and yellow flags in areas that are safest for beachgoers, regardless of their swimming ability. These areas are patrolled at all times, situated away from dangerous rip currents and free from potentially hazardous surf craft such as fiberglass surfboards, kayaks and paddleboards.

If you swim outside of the flags you are putting your life at risk. It’s that simple. The flags are there for a reason and it takes us plenty of time, effort and experience to put them up in the best place, so please make life a little easier for us boys in light blue by obeying them.

If you do happen to get into trouble in the water, stay calm, signal for help by holding up one arm in the air, float and wait for assistance. If you’re swimming between the flags, assistance will arrive in no time.