Wednesday 18 May 2005
Sea near Cave Rock no place to swim - Council
Christchurch City Council has erected temporary signs on either side of Cave Rock, reminding swimmers that this part of
the Sumner coastline is unsafe.
“The area around Cave Rock is full of rips and holes because of the strong inflow and outflow of water,” Surf Life
Saving Canterbury district manager Grant Lewis said.
“It is never safe to swim around there. Because of the strong tidal flow, the water scours out the sand and it is
deceptively deep one or two metres from the rocks.”
Mr Lewis said a number of people have been rescued from the sea near Cave Rock, which is never flagged as a safe
swimming area.
“While most people would probably not want to swim near the rocks, the need for more signage has been highlighted by a
coroner’s report on the death of man in January 2004,” Christchurch City Council Coastal Parks area head ranger, Rodney
Chambers said
“This man drowned after being swept off his feet while trying to wade out to a small rock off the end of Cave Rock,” he
said.
The temporary signage will be replaced with permanent fixtures, following an audit of safety- related signage from Shag
Rock to Scarborough, which will be conducted by Surf Life Saving New Zealand’s aquatic signage experts on behalf of the
Council. This audit is hoped to be completed by the start of next summer. Recommended actions will be integrated into
the Sumner Coast Master Plan being prepared by the Council.
ENDS