The Central Coast beach season will be launched this weekend with the official raising of the flags at Killcare Beach. The flag raising ceremony signals lifeguards and lifesavers are back patrolling the Coast’s beaches, and keeping the community safe from the start of the school holidays until Anzac Day.

The best and only place to swim is at one of the 15 beaches we patrol along our coastline, from The Lakes in the north to Umina in the south.

Once again we will be extending our lifeguard service during the Christmas holidays and over the Easter long weekend to include the popular Budgewoi Beach.

In addition, selected beaches will also be patrolled for extended hours during the Christmas school holiday period, so look out for the flags.

Be surf smart this summer

We have highly professional and fully trained staff on board to ensure everyone can enjoy our beautiful beaches safely. Beaches are patrolled by our Lifeguards from Monday to Friday, and by Central Coast Surf Life Saving Club volunteers on weekends and public holidays.

The most important safety tip we can give is: always swim between the red and yellow flags so our Lifeguards can watch over you and help quickly if needed.

The flags are set up daily at the safest part of the beach depending on the current surf conditions such as swells and rips.

Follow these tips to stay safe:

If you do find yourself in trouble, stay calm, float with the current, raise your arm and call for help – remember if we can’t see you, we can’t save you

Assess the conditions before heading out in the water

Never swim at night or under the influence of alcohol and drugs

Protect yourself from the sun – apply sunscreen regularly, cover up with clothing, wear a hat and sunglasses and stay hydrated

Plan ahead – always swim with a group of friends or family and look out for each other

When rock fishing, make sure you plan ahead - wear the appropriate gear, carry a phone and always let others know your plans

If you have any questions or concerns, talk to our friendly Lifeguards on duty who will be happy to help.

Protecting our pools

Our Lifeguards are also on duty all year round at the Peninsula Leisure Centre and Gosford Olympic Pool. Both facilities are family friendly and will have a number of school holiday activities on offer from next week to keep the kids active.

Our Lifeguard Service has also been extended this year to include The Entrance Ocean Baths. Our team will patrol, as well as maintain, these popular beachside pools seven days a week during the beach season. The 50 metre pool will be closed every Monday during beach season for cleaning, and the two smaller ones on a Tuesday.

Beach improvements

During the off-season, staff worked tirelessly to prepare our beaches and coastal areas in time for the start of official beach season. Some of these works included:

• Terrigal Lake entrance dredging and nourishing of Terrigal Beach
• Ocean Beach, Snapper Road sand bag extension and sand nourishing
• Ettalong Beach clean-up and rock removal
• Formalising the middle Putty Beach car parking area
• Installation of temporary ramps for Avoca Beach Surf Club
• Dune fencing repairs at Avoca and Putty Beaches
• Repair of Jack Muller Reserve, Avoca Beach
• Repair of MacMasters Beach Patrol Tower
• Repainting of The Entrance Surf Club
• Shelly Beach fencing and dune restoration
• Purchase and provision of additional equipment for shared usage with Central Coast Surf Life Saving.

We also completed a number of general improvement works across our beaches including erosion control (revegetation) on the dunes, repair and replacement of beach accesses and surfaces as well as installation of fencing to control pedestrian access and sand movements.

More works are planned including:

• Temporary repair of the Avoca Foreshore walking paths
• MacMasters Beach Rock pool stairs construction
• Lakes Beach carpark landscaping
• Observation tower at The Entrance North Beach
• Beach and dune maintenance.

Our beaches are a major drawcard for both tourists and locals, and we want to make sure they are a safe place for everyone to enjoy. Share your favourite moments at the beach by following @thisisthecentralcoast on Instagram and using the hashtag #thisisthelife