Summer safety tips: Phillip Island and San Remo Advertiser

In January 2024, four people died at Forrest Caves on Phillip Island in the state's worst mass drowning in nearly two decades.

In her findings published late last year, coroner Sarah Gebert identified a particular risk of coastal drowning for people from multicultural communities and CALD (culturally and linguistically diverse) backgrounds.

It is important for anyone visiting our beaches to be aware of local conditions and only swim between flags on patrolled beaches.

Currently, Woolamai, Smiths Beach and Cowes Foreshore Beach are monitored daily between 10am and 6pm.

Dangerous

In recent months, new signs have been installed at the bottom of stairs and direct access to several high-risk beaches on Phillip Island and Bass Coast.

The signs say: "Caution. Swimming is not recommended" and includes a QR code link to the Life Saving Victoria Beachsafe app, which provides information about patrolled beaches in a multilingual format.

The Woolamai Beach Surf Life Saving Club has urged people not to swim in unsupervised areas. Club president Jason Close said: "Phillip Island has around 100 kilometers of coastline and lifeguards and lifeguards cannot always be there." »

He said there were several beaches where people did not want to swim due to their remoteness, accessibility and restricted conditions.

He stressed that it was not advisable to swim on a beach without supervision, but Anzacs, Colonnades, Forrest Caves, Surf Beach, Berrys Beach and Kilcunda were of particular concern.

"Each of these beaches is unsupervised and can be dangerous for swimming. The isolation means that help arrives slowly and is often too late.

"Some of these beaches can also be very difficult for lifeguards to access."

Learn about some of the most dangerous beaches on Phillip Island and why they are considered particularly dangerous:

The most dangerous beaches on the island: colonnades

Most Dangerous Island Beaches: Berrys Beach

Most Dangerous Island Beaches: Surf Beach

Be safe

Before you go to the beach this summer, download the Beachsafe app .

The app provides detailed information on patrol status, facilities and hazards, as well as weather, waves and tides.

One of the biggest dangers on island beaches is breakage, which can be difficult to detect for those unfamiliar with the conditions and can be fatal.

Beachsafe provides clear information and videos on how to identify a rip .

Image: Can you see a tear? Recognizing a tear is the first step to avoiding getting caught in a tear. This aerial photo shows a series of cracks along the coast of Cape Woolamai.

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