Yeppoon’s ‘bad rip’ warning after woman’s near-drowning

Authorities have issued a public safety warning after lifeguards saved a woman’s life.

Lifeguard Riccardo Valenza keeps a watchful eye over swimmers at Yeppoon Main Beach. Photo: Chris Ison / The Morning Bulletin

A near-drowning incident at Yeppoon’s Ross Creek has prompted Livingstone Shire Council to issue a community warning.

On Thursday the council moved to make the public aware of the dangers of strong currents at the mouth of Ross Creek following last weekend’s scary incident.

A spokesman for BlueFit, which is involved in the management of community leisure facilities including Yeppoon Lagoon, reported that a lady was on a paddleboard with her dog at the entrance of Ross Creek, when she found herself stuck in a rip and heading out to sea between 12.30pm and 1pm last Saturday.

“Panicking, she was yelling and waving her arms around, calling for help,” the BlueFit spokesman said.

“Yeppoon Lagoon lifeguards were soon made aware of this, ran down to the beachfront, rescued her and brought her back to the shore.”

The Yeppoon Lagoon was evacuated and an ambulance was called.

Surf coach and Livingstone Shire Councillor Pat Eastwood enjoys the waves on Yeppoon Main Beach.

“There was no question that that lady was in trouble,” the BlueFit spokesman said.

“The lifeguards involved in the rescue did an exemplary job - they went above and beyond what they were asked to do at the lagoon.

“Our priority is the lagoon, not the ocean. But, in saying that, if something is brought to our attention and we have the capability to go and assist someone, we always will of course.

“Our lifeguards are extensively trained, we do quarterly training and their qualifications are renewed every 12 months.

“They followed the correct procedure that day and stopped the lady from potentially dying.

“I am quite proud of them.”

This is the second rescue at Ross Creek in three years.

“Ultimately, there is a bad rip as the tide goes out of Ross Creek,” the BlueFit spokesman said.

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“Sadly, people don’t tend to follow the instructions of swimming between the flags or looking at the signs saying, ‘strong current’, and decide to go for a swim.

“The key message to the community is, if you’re going to go swimming at the beach – swim between the flags and swim within your own abilities.”

A rip is the path the water being pushed onto the shore by the waves takes to run back into the ocean, so they often appear as dark, relatively calm channels between the white breaking waves.

But these dark channels actually indicate fast-moving currents moving out to sea.

They’re dangerous because people can become exhausted trying to swim against the current back to shore, or they can push inexperienced swimmers out into deep waters where they can’t stand up.

Livingstone Shire Council is urging residents to exercise common sense when entering any body of water, especially the ocean where rips and undercurrents could be present, putting your safety and the safety of others at risk.

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The council’s message to swimmers is to not be complacent, especially in the area in front of the lagoon where Ross Creek flows to Keppel Bay.

“Please remember the safest place to swim at any beach is in the patrolled area, between the red and yellow flags,” the council said in a statement.

Lifeguard top tips:

- Always swim between the red and yellow flags

- Read the safety signs

- Ask a lifeguard for safety advice

- Swim with a friend

- If you need help, stay calm and attract attention

For more information visit: https://beachsafe.org.au/

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