A wave of digital Safeswim signs are coming to another eight beaches around Auckland this summer.
In the next few months, the signs will be found sited at Browns Bay, Clarks Beach, Judges Bay, Herne Bay, Maraetai Beach, Point England, Orewa (two) and Taumanu.
Auckland Council’s Safeswim programme manages public health and safety by delivering real-time beach information and water quality forecasts to help beach-goers decide which locations to swim at based on current conditions.
Now beach-specific, real-time information will be displayed on digital signs at those selected beaches.
Digital signs trialed at Mission Bay, St Mary’s Bay and Takapuna Beach have performed well despite being subject to the occasional vandalism.
This second series of new and improved signs will be more robust and monitored 24/7 via surveillance cameras.
The green light for the installation of additional digital signs, at a cost of around $26,000 each, is great news for popular swimming destinations and swim event organisers. It will allow recreational swimmers or those competing in popular swim events to be communicated to en masse with the latest water conditions. It will also be useful at locations, where from time to time, there are water quality issues.
Councillor Penny Hulse is delighted to see more digital signs being installed across the region.
“We are proud to be rolling out more of these Safeswim digital signs; it will clearly indicate the status of the beach for people without access to a phone or internet and help Aucklanders decide where to swim.
“While we are working hard to improve Auckland’s water quality, it is critical people can still enjoy our beaches by making informed decisions before entering the water.”
The new signs will display a raft of additional informatio such as tides, water temperature, beach patrol hours (for patrolled beaches), weather forecasts, wind speed and direction.
The addition of these signs to the beaches is intended to reinforce to swimmers the importance of checking for health and safety alerts before entering the water.
For more information check safeswim.org.nz
