THE 2018/2019 swim season will start on Saturday with Wollongong Council’s ocean lifeguards and volunteer lifesavers patrolling 17 beaches from Stanwell Park to Windang, six days a week.
Council lifeguards and volunteer surf lifesavers will be on duty until April 28 2019. Beach-goers are reminded to swim at patrolled beaches and all swimmers are strongly advised to heed all surf warnings, and NO FLAGS, NO SWIM.
During the 2017/2018 season we had an estimated 1.35 million people visit beaches from Stanwell Park to Windang. During this time lifeguards also conducted 507 rescues and conducted about 38,000 preventative actions on the beaches.
Council also has developed a three-staged pro-active approach regarding sharks off the beaches. Council uses:
* coastal aerial patrols, from Stanwell Park to Windang
* drone video surveillance to track sharks when there have been confirmed sightings
* lifeguards have electronic shark-deterrent devices on their jet skis, called Shark Shield.
Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery said Wollongong has 42km of coastline with 17 patrolled beaches – the oldest lifeguard service in NSW.
“Not only are our beaches popular they are a wonderful place to visit during the summer months,” he said.
“So we recommend that beach goers talk with our friendly lifeguards if they wish to know more about surf conditions and to always swim between the flags.
“We see many community members on our beaches and we are also seeing an increasing number of visitors from South Western Sydney come to our beautiful coastline.”
For more information on beach patrol hours and beach safety call (02) 4227 7111.
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