Beach job deadly serious for fishing safety advisers

Tessie Chen checks out the waves at Muriwai. Picture / Martin Sykes

Tessie Chi-Huei Chen jokes that she likes the idea of being paid for working on a beach - but she knows her role as rock fishing safety adviser has a deadly serious point.

Ms Chen, 23, is one of of four English and Mandarin-speaking Kiwis just recruited by the Auckland Regional Council to educate rock fishers on staying safe. Joining Ms Chen are brothers Ivan (Ta-lien) Lee, 28, and Owen Ta Yuan Lee, 25, and Philip So, 43.

The need is urgent. Last year, on Auckland's west coast alone, five Asian immigrants drowned while rock fishing - two each at Muriwai and Whatipu, and one at Bethells Beach. None were wearing lifejackets.

In a pilot project running to Easter, funded by the ARC and backed by Surf Life Saving Northern and WaterSafe Auckland, the four will trawl the west coast beaches Whatipu, Muriwai, Karekare and Piha on weekends, educating fishers on the dangers. They will also administer a survey so authorities can, for the first time, get an idea of which migrant groups are fishing and their attitudes.

Migrant fishers have often grown up without exposure to the outdoors and can be ignorant of the power of wind and waves, says WaterSafe Auckland project manager Teresa Stanley. But experience has shown that once aware of the risks, they generally follow safety guidelines.

ARC park ranger Stu Leighton, who yesterday led the four advisers through training on Muriwai beach, said the education included tips from how to read the tide and swell to judge whether to venture out, through to what action to take if they do fall in. Advisers would show how to use safety items such as inflatable life jackets, and give out leaflets.

Ms Chen, who also speaks Japanese, knows how dangerous the water can be, having been sucked under the first time she swam at Muriwai. "People need to treat the water with respect," she said.

Rock fishing tips* Ensure someone knows your location and your return time.

* Never fish alone.

* Wear a lifejacket - inflatable ones are available.

* Wear sandshoes rather than gumboots, and thermal clothing rather than bulky attire.

* Carry a cellphone in a waterproof bag.

* Don't fish where rocks are being swamped.

* Watch the swells and don't turn your back on the waves.

* Cut snagged tackle free rather than climbing down to retrieve it.

* If you fall in, float on your back and let the current carry you out.

Source: WaterSafe Auckland, www.watersafe.org.nz