It’s hard to be believe that Christmas is upon us already.
We have had been another up and down year with plenty of challenges, but also, hopefully, some positive memories.
Our volunteer surf lifesavers and Surf Life Saving Queensland lifeguards have again done a wonderful job looking after everyone who visited our beaches and we thank them all for their tireless dedication.
While most people look forward to a well-deserved break, it’s the busiest time for lifesavers and lifeguards so please make their job as easy as possible by swimming between the flags and following their directions.
Unfortunately, we’ve seen a number of tragedies this year, meaning Christmas won’t be the same for a number of families.
As we hope to avoid any more, we’re asking everyone to remember “She’ll be right won’t save your life”.
Challenge yourself, your family and your mates to think about even seemingly small risks and take action to avoid them.
Walk that extra distance to the flagged area, don’t drink and swim, know your limitations in the water and stick within them.
Its also a really important time for families to stick together and parents please make sure you’re supervising your children. With large numbers on the beaches it’s easy for them to get lost, or get into difficulty in the water, especially as they try to test out all the new Christmas presents.
Make sure that they’re using the leg or wrist strap on any new bodyboards.
Spread out on the beach with the new cricket set or frisbees and been mindful of other beach users.
What to expect from the weather
The weather is looking like a mixed bag for a visit to the beach over the Christmas long weekend.
On one hand we’ve got a high likelihood of showers each day increasing on Monday and Tuesday. There’s also a chance of late storms each afternoon.
On the other hand, temperatures are expected to be in the high 20 degree range combined with mostly light southerly winds.
The winds will increase by Tuesday making for more choppy conditions.
The surf will be small around the 0.5m mark with the exception of Monday morning where its expected to drop below this mark.
Christmas Day will see a low tide at 6:53pm whilst on Boxing Day low tide will be later at 7:45pm, so it will be running out all afternoon so be watchful of the rips at this time.
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas. If you’re heading to the beach make sure you of course only swim between the red and yellow flags!
Aaron Purchase is Surf Life Saving Queensland’s regional manager for the Sunshine Coast. His column in sunshinecoastnews.com.au keeps the community informed of what’s happening on the beach and offers tips on how to stay safe.
