March 2012 (ROTM#39) Tamarama Beach, Sydney

I have a new favourite rip current photo and what a coincidence, it's of my favourite beach! Tamarama is a small pocket beach in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs situated between Bronte and Bondi Beach.  It's a beach to be respected as it is fully exposed to the dominant south-east swell. If it's flat everywhere else, there's almost always a wave at Tama. It's been rated as one of the most dangerous beaches in Australia because of the size of the waves, the frequency of rip currents, and the number of people who visit. Having said that, the Tamarama Surf Life Saving Club is proud of it's motto 'No Lives Lost' and the Waverley Council lifeguards are some of the best in the business so your odds are pretty good of coming out alive.  It's also a great bodysurfing beach because when the red and yellow flags are up, fibreglass boards aren't allowed because the beach is so narrow.

Tama normally has a rip either at the northern end of the southern end, but on this day there are two very well defined headland rips at both ends. The rip system almost looks like a boomerang and the sand bar in the middle of the beach is like a refuge for swimmers. Those rips look great for swimming don't they? This picture was snapped by Andre Slade who runs a beach swim/fitness program called Oceanfit and I write a blog for him there.

Tamarama is also special to me because I lived in the surf club for 3 years in the mid-1990's as the caretaker and actually wrote my PhD there in my budgie smugglers!

Tamarama - home of SOS