Beach Safety on the Gold Coast

Some of the biggest highlights of the Gold Coast are the incredible beaches, but if you want to enjoy them thoroughly you need to know how to stay safe. By following just a few simple guidelines, millions of Australians manage to stay safe at the beach every year. Make sure you too know what to do to stay safe when you are at those beautiful Gold Coast beaches. The following is a look at the basics of beach safety on the Gold Coast.

Swim between the flags

All Gold Coast beaches will have red and yellow flags on them indicating the safest places swim, and you should always swim between these flags, as other parts of the beach may be extremely dangerous. Lifeguards will be posted close to these marked areas too, so if you hope to have someone there to help should you get into trouble in the surf, swimming where they can see you is a wise move. If a solid yellow flag is also displayed at the beach it means that the surf is a little more dangerous right now, so heed the warning, use caution and stay closer to the shore. If you arrive at a Gold Coast beach that has a solid red flag displayed, it means the conditions are extremely dangerous and you should NOT enter the water.

Surf outside the flags

Unless you are using a harmless kids’ foam or rubber surfboard, if you want to surf at a Gold Coast beach you need to stay outside of the areas designated for swimming. This way, you won’t be any risk of running over the top of people swimming, and you will also have a bit more space to move around on that board of yours.

Never swim alone on Gold Coast beaches

Even though it might seem like a good idea to go for a swim early in the morning or late at night when no one else is around, you should always bring at least one person with you, because if you get into trouble in the surf it is vital that someone sees and can either help or get help. If you are swimming during hours that the beach is being patrolled, you can count on the lifeguards watching out for you, but outside of these times you really need to provide your own backup. Whether you are staying at Surfers Paradise apartments or budget accommodation on the Gold Coast, if you are travelling alone, try to arrange for a swimming buddy, because you’ll probably find a lot of other people have the same idea as you.

If you are in trouble, stay calm and signal

Whether you get caught in an undertow or develop a cramp in one of your legs, if you are in the surf and need help, stay calm and raise one arm to signal that you are in trouble. Don’t wave; just keep that one arm raised, and the second the lifeguards spot it, they will be out to help you. If you feel yourself getting pulled out into deeper water, stay calm. Don’t struggle; just concentrate on floating. Raise your arm when you can and help will be there soon.