Hazard Symbols

At beaches up and down our coastline, you will see signage highlighting the hazards. Select the symbols below to learn more about each hazard.

symbol for rip currents

RIP CURRENTS

symbol for rip currents

UNEXPECTED WAVES

symbol for rip currents

SHARP SLIPPERY ROCKS

symbol for rolling logs

MOVING LOGS

symbol for cold water

COLD WATER

symbol for surge channels

SURGE CHANNELS

symbol for sudden beach flooding

SUDDEN BEACH FLOODING & TERRAIN TRAPS AT HIGH TIDE

symbol for wildlife

WILDLIFE IN AREA

symbol for rock cliffs

ROCK CLIFFS

Level 3 Red Sign example

The main hazards include:

UNEXPECTEDLY ENTERING THE WATER

Around 20% of the people who drown either slip, trip or fall into the water. They never intended to get wet.

COLD WATER

Cold water shock is triggered in water temperatures lower than 15⁰C – the average temperature of Pacific Rim waters is 10⁰C. So even in the summer, the water temperature is cold enough to cause cold water shock, which can steal the air from your lungs and leave you helpless in minutes.

RIP CURRENTS AND UNEXPECTED WAVES

Rip currents can travel faster than an Olympic swimmer and can pull even the strongest swimmers out to sea. And unexpected waves can quickly knock people off their feet.