Popular surf coast in India shut down

Surf Travel

Local government has banned people from entering the water

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 16 November, 2012 : - - Vizag’s picturesque beaches attract many tourists and the promenade is a popular place to relax and unwind. However, the rough seas combined with a rocky coastline and a natural gradient make it an unsafe place to swim. After an increasing number of drowning incidents, the authorities have banned people from entering the water. They have also posted community lifeguards to enforce the ban.

This decision has had the worst impact on a small community of surfers in the city. Over the past few years a number of children have been learning to surf at Rushikonda Beach under the guidance of Melville Smythe. Almost 30 children have picked up the art of surfing and two of them have even made it to the India Surf Team of the Surfing Federation of India.

With the beaches closed these surfers cannot practise what they have learnt. Melville, who has been a keen surfer, says that he knows Rushikonda Beach very well and has identified the places that are safe.

“Most deaths due to drowning occur because tourists look for a secluded spot away from the safe zone. Vizag beach is dangerous but there are zones that are safe for surfing,” he says. Every beach in the world that is popular with tourists has a number of lifeguards patrolling the area. In India the RLSS(I) are trained to be lifeguards and can be deployed to protect the zones identified as safe for water activities, he adds.

Read the full article at The Hindu

Source: The Hindu

Author: Jaideep Deo Bhanj

Tags: India, Water Safety, Surfing Bans

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