Beginner surfers choosing Dunedin’s Smaills Beach to hone their skills can thank their lucky stars if they wash up on Bird Island and not the Peruvian coast, a lifesaver says.
As the season heats up, generally so do rescues conducted at Smaills Beach to pluck stranded surfers off the rocky Bird Island.
Surf Life Saving Otago-Southland club development officer Brent Matehaere said last year there were three or four rescues in the area.
The beach attracts surfers of all skill levels, but Mr Matehaere said it was perhaps not the best choice of beaches for beginners.
"I wouldn’t suggest that [Smaills and Tomahawk Beaches] are a great beginning surfing spot because of the amount of moving water ... It’s also a quiet place to come.
"Many surfers must see Bird Island as a nice safe haven to stop at when you’re floating out to sea on a surfboard."
Tomahawk and Smaills Beaches both featured a lot of moving water, and when the surf came in the water shifted around, most of it heading towards Bird Island as an exit point.
"When that moving water has a bunch of novice surfers in it, they tend to jump on to Bird Island as a last resort before floating out to Peru."
Last Saturday, a man and a woman got caught in the rips and were swept out to Bird Island.
After an hour, another surfer rescued them.
October last year featured multiple rescues from the island, numerous surfers being winched off by helicopter.
Mr Matehaere said for those learning to surf, long, white waters provided some time to practise standing.
"Warrington is a dream to go to if you check the swell beforehand ... Long Beach is not too bad and St Clair and St Kilda have more people around to watch out for you."
