Flags down for end of beach season
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Sunday afternoon saw the swimming flags come down on many beaches across the peninsula.
Lifeguard patrols will continue at Dee Why and Freshwater Beaches until the end of May, with Manly patrolled 12 months a year.
Since September last year, our beaches from Manly to Palm Beach had over seven million visitors, down from over 11 million last summer. Our in-house and contract lifeguards together with our volunteer surf life savers successfully performed 669 rescues and provided first aid to 3590 people.
Beach Safety Manager, Steve Downman said it wasn’t surprising that beachgoer numbers were down given the lockdown in December combined with rainy and cooler weather throughout summer.
“It was great to see people out exercising and having family time despite the Beaches lockdown at Christmas,” he said.
“Thanks to everyone who swam between the flags during the season.
“Now that it's cooler, we strongly urge people not to swim at unpatrolled beaches for their own safety. If you want to swim, head to a patrolled beach, use our rock pools or head to one of our aquatic centres which are open year-round.”
The red and yellow flags go back up in September when the weather warms up again.