January 2013 (ROTM#49) Bilgola Beach, Sydney, Australia

Happy New Year everyone! I'm really hoping that we see a reduction in rip current drownings this summer in Australia. That would be fantastic. But it would help if we had some decent warning signs. I'm not a great fan of signs given that most people can't be bothered reading them, but these 2 signs are pretty standard on Australian surf beaches when it comes to rips and they are also pretty useless.

There's a very strong rip in the background, it's the main dark gap without breaking waves, but the signs really only mention 'Dangerous Current' and 'Dangerous Surf'. What does that actually mean to the typical person? Probably not much. Would a typical risk taking male be put off swimming? Would an international tourist who can't read English? The educational value is essentially zero...which is why it's still important to understand how rips work and how to spot them. Why not make 'learning how to spot a rip' one of your New Year's resolutions?

Also, for a bit of fun, the Weekend Australian Magazine did a 10 Questions feature on me! Have a read!

Warning signs are often useless