Source: Auckland Council
Safeswim is ready for a safe and fun summer this long weekend in Auckland.
Enjoying the summer with Safeswim: your guide to safe swimming in Auckland
As summer continues Auckland’s beaches remain the heartbeat of the season, a haven for picnics, swims, and sun-soaked memories. But as you pack your beach bag and head for the shore, don’t forget to check one essential tool for your summer adventures: Safeswim
Safeswim is your one-stop destination for the latest information on water quality, swimming conditions, and surf lifeguard patrols at Auckland’s beaches. Operated by Auckland Council in partnership with Surf Life Saving New Zealand, Watercare, and Drowning Prevention Auckland, Safeswim is the award-winning programme that empowers beachgoers to make informed decisions. Whether you’re planning to dive into the surf, wade along the shore, or simply enjoy a day by the sea, Safeswim gives you the information you need to decide when and where to swim.
Check water quality, temperature and conditions before you leave home
While Auckland’s beaches are generally pristine, there may be times when the water is not suitable for swimming. Rainfall can wash contaminants from urban areas into waterways, while infrastructure issues like wastewater overflows may temporarily affect water quality. These factors can increase the risk of illness for swimmers.
Safeswim uses advanced predictive models and real-time data to forecast water quality at each beach, helping you make informed decisions about when and where to swim. With updates every 15 minutes, the platform displays colour-coded pins on an interactive map to indicate water quality and the risk of illness from swimming.
Regular water quality sampling is also an important part of the programme and helps validate and improve the performance of models. Look for the Safeswim sampling team across the region this summer.
Understanding the pin colours
A green pin means the water quality is good while a red pin means the water quality is not suitable for swimming and there may be higher risk of illness—swimming is not advised. A black pin means you should avoid the water as there is an active wastewater overflow in the area.
A yellow diamond pin indicates a safety warning is in place. Some of the hazards could include strong currents, large breaking waves, sharks or even jellyfish.
Safe swimming
Over the last few weeks swimmers along Auckland’s east coast have reported itching and rashes / red spots after being in the water. Sea bather’s eruption is an itchy rash of the covered skin that appears soon after swimming in the sea, caused by stings from the nematocysts (stinging cells) of certain sea anemones and thimble jellyfish. The tiny animals become trapped in bathing suits or in the hair of the bather. Most cases of sea bather’s eruption occur during the summer when the water temperature is warmer. We advise swimmers to change out of swimwear as soon as possible and shower with fresh water after coming out of the water.
Check Safeswim
Swimming conditions and water quality can change. By regularly checking Safeswim, you can confidently plan your day at the beach.
Simply go to the Safeswim website or download the app and use the map to locate your favourite spot. You can also type in the name of the beach you are looking for into the search box.
When you click on a particular beach, you’ll find helpful information such as the weather forecast, water temperature and potential hazards such as large waves, strong currents or large drop-offs in the water. Tide times are handy to know if you’re heading out on a walk where you can only cross a path at low tide.
Find the safest place: always swim where lifeguards can keep you safe
While the beach is New Zealand’s favourite playground, it can also be a dangerous place. So, choose a lifeguarded beach and always swim between the red and yellow flags. In 2023/24, surf lifeguards saved 893 lives across New Zealand, and no one drowned while swimming between the flags. You can easily find out which beaches have surf lifeguards on the Safeswim website by clicking on the ‘See lifeguarded’ red and yellow flag icon. But note that surf lifeguards are not on duty all the time.
Know how to float
Ensure the family know how to float. Being able to float increases your chances of survival and is the first thing you should do if caught in a rip. If you or someone in your family doesn’t know how to float well, practice or get lessons in a pool before you head to the beach.
Sign up for one of Auckland Council’s Pools and Leisure Learn to Swim classes for adults and children if you don’t know how to swim or you’re not confident in the water. And if you do get caught in a rip or a strong current, don’t panic.
Stay calm, relax and float instead of trying to swim back to shore. Raise your hand for help and ride the rip until it stops, and you can swim back to shore, or it circulates and brings you back into shallower waters.
Take care of others: don’t take your eyes off the kids.
Always keep a close eye on children in and near the water. Drowning can happen quickly and silently, so stay focused, avoid distractions, and keep young ones within arm’s reach, even in shallow water.
If in doubt, stay out
Waves can be bigger than they look; dangerous rip currents are hard to spot and weather conditions can be unpredictable. If you feel uncomfortable about getting into the water, stay out. It’s better to be safe than sorry. Too many people get into trouble in the water because they overestimate their abilities and underestimate the conditions.
Know how to get help
If someone in the water is in trouble and surf lifeguards are on patrol, let them know. If you can’t see any surf lifeguards, call 111 and ask for police. Police have a direct line to surf lifeguards and others who can help.
More information on beach safety information from Surf Life Saving New Zealand can be found here.
Additionally, don’t let children play, paddle, or swim in urban streams, stormwater pipes, or near stormwater outlets on the beach. The water from these outlets is likely to be contaminated even if it looks clean.
There are many good reasons to decide with Safeswim. So before diving in at the beach this summer, take a moment to visit safeswim.org.nz or download the mobile app to get the latest water quality, swimming conditions, and surf lifeguard patrol times.
