Beach safety: the rules that matter

Bondi, Tamarama, Bronte, Clovelly and Coogee are beautiful, and the surf can be powerful. Read this before you swim, especially if you're visiting.

In an emergency, call 000. If someone is in trouble in the water, alert a lifeguard straight away. Call 000

✓Swim between the flags

✗No flags = no swim

In trouble? Float. Raise one arm.

Emergency: call 000

1. Swim between the red and yellow flags

The red and yellow flags mark the part of the beach that lifeguards are watching. They move the flags during the day as conditions change, so check where they are each time you go in.

No flags = no swim.

Red and yellow: lifeguards are patrolling here. Swim between these flags.

Red: the beach is closed. Don't go in the water.

Yellow: potential hazards in the water. Take extra care and ask a lifeguard.

No flags: nobody is watching. If you're unsure, stay out.

2. Know what a rip looks like

A rip is a strong current running out to sea. Rips are the biggest hazard on Australian beaches. The trap is that a rip often looks like the calmest spot to swim. Look for:

Deeper, darker coloured water
Fewer breaking waves, or a gap where waves aren't breaking
A rippled surface surrounded by smoother water
Sandy or murky water running out beyond the waves
Foam, seaweed or debris moving out to sea

Seen from the sand: white waves break on both sides. The darker, calmer-looking gap in the middle is water rushing back out to sea.

A useful trick: find where waves are breaking consistently, then look to each side where they aren't. Those gaps are often rips. Not every rip shows every sign.

3. If you're caught in a rip

Stay calm. A rip won't pull you under. It carries you out, not down.
Float to save your energy. Don't fight the current by swimming straight back to shore.
Raise one arm and call for help so a lifeguard can see you.
If you're a confident swimmer, swim parallel to the beach, towards the breaking waves. If the current is too strong, go back to floating.
Keep checking where you are. The rip may bring you back to a sandbank.

If you see someone else caught in a rip, don't go in after them. Tell a lifeguard and call 000.

4. A few more rules

Always swim with someone else.
Never swim after drinking alcohol or taking drugs.
Read the signs at the beach entrance. They tell you about local hazards.
If you're not sure, ask a lifeguard before you go in.
Check the daily beach report for water quality. After heavy rain, pollution is more likely.

Sources: Surf Life Saving Australia rip current guidance and fact sheets; Healthdirect: beach safety; Royal Life Saving: rip currents. For patrol times and live hazard alerts, use Beachsafe. This page gives general information only. Always follow lifeguards' directions on the day.