Sharkey`s Beach is unsafe for swimming

Sharkey’s Beach is unsafe for swimming. It has dangerous
rips and submerged rocks. For your safety, we recommend
heading to Austinmer or Coledale beach for a swim, both
only a two-minute drive away and patrolled by lifeguards.
Coledale Beach (Patrolled)
Two-minute drive north
Austinmer Beach (Patrolled)
Two-minute drive south
Sharkey’s Beach is unsafe for swimming
Submerged
Rocks
Submerged
Rocks
Sand bar
Rip current
Incoming waves
Sand bar
Rip current
Submerged
Rocks
Constant
Rip
Constant
Rip
Rip currents
Help! What to do if caught in a rip current
Where there are breaking waves, there can be rips. These rips push
water out to sea and are very dangerous for swimmers.
Rips can be deceptive because they look like calm patches between
breaking waves on the beach. This is why we recommend swimming
on a patrolled beach because Lifeguards can direct people where to
swim safely.
Easy tips for spotting rips - look out for:
> Water that’s darker and discoloured. Look to see if there’s debris in
the water moving out to sea.
> A patch where the surrounding water is calm, and there’s a rippled
effect on the sea surface.
> Big waves breaking further out to sea on both sides of the rip.
If you want to know more about rips and understanding beach conditions,
ask a Lifeguard at one of our patrolled beaches. They’ll be happy to help.
STAY CALM & RAISE YOUR ARM
NO FLAGS = NO SWIM
Rip currents are dangerous. If you get caught in a rip, there are a
couple of things you can do:
> Stay calm and raise your arm so if there’s someone on the beach,
they can see you’re in trouble.
> Relax. Rips lose strength as they move out to sea. Let the rip carry
you away from the shore to the point where it weakens. Then you
can swim away from it – swimming parallel to the beach – until you
can catch a wave back to shore.
Whatever you do, DON’T try and swim against the rip. Even the
strongest swimmer will run out of energy.
If you’re a board rider make sure you hang onto your board – it will
help you float.