SURFING AT ST. CLAIR

Evening Star, Issue 19771, 23 January 1928, Page 6

SURFING AT ST. CLAIR

drdwhing tragedies averted KEEP WITH THE CROWD T. Three rescues of people from the surf at St. Clair yesterday emphasise the importance of people bathing in the zone which is marked by flags on the beach. In all three cases the people concerned were bathing outside the marked zone, and away from the crowd. In the sunshine and surf at St. Clair yesterday thousands of people enjoyed the cool atmosphere of the seaside as a relief from the heat. All day long Dunedin’s picturesque beach was a scene of animation and color. Hundreds of people promenaded on the esplanade or sat in motor cars, crowds rested on the sand, and a constant stream of bathers went in and out of tho water.

Few of the many who were watching the bathers in the water in the afternoon, however, realised that three people were in grave difficulties, and that only prompt action on _ the part of members of the St. Clair Life Saving Club and others averted fatalities. In the first place, a young man and young lady, who were not bathing within the zone marked by the flags, were seen to be in difficulties about a hundred yards from the shore. When the alarm was raised about half a dozen members of the Life Saving Club dashed into too water and brought the young lady safely ashore. The young man was then rescued. The girl quickly recovered, but the young man, who was in a semiunconscious condition when brought ashore, had to have artificial respiration applied before he recovered. The other case was that of a man with a wooden leg, who was also bathing outside the marked zone. He was seen to lose, his surf board, and was then observed to bo in difficulties. He kept calm, however, and was rescued by another man who went without loss of time to his assistance.

There was a heavy surf on the beach yesterday, and it was the strong undertow which set in with the turn of the tide that took the three people out of their depth. Had they been bathing with the crowd, however, their plight would have been noticed at once, fn addition, there is the fact that the club’s life-line and reel is kept on the beach opposite the marked area, and, if trouble occurs there, the line can he run straight in, Tf, however, bathers are outside the zone, time mav be lost in shifting the reel along the beach.

There were many visitors on the beach yesterday, especially noticeable being competitors and officials of the swimming championships. In the morning a party swam out beyond the breakers and moored the buoy which is to be used in connection with the championship life-saving contests.