EROSION has exposed rocks on Old Bar beach that Taree Old Bar Surf Club president Jane Lynch fears are a danger to beach goers.
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"Continued rain and flow of the entrance entrance downstream has stripped away all the sand from the main beach, leaving massive underwater boulders in their place,'' Jane told the Times.
She said the rocks have been exposed in previous seasons.
"But never to this degree,'' Jane said.
"Either side of the boulders are massive rips and drop offs and only experienced swimmers or surfers can really navigate the outer banks.
"At low tide the rocks are easy to see and avoid. At high tide, with our regular shore break, we're really worried that swimmers will not know about the rocks and dive in to avoid the break and break their neck.''
The club has placed signs warning of the danger.
"But sometimes these go missing,'' Jane added.
The club asked MidCoast Council for additional signage at the beach to warm beach goers of the danger.
In an email to the club, council said: "We have only just installed new signage at all beach access points in Old Bar that notify users of the risks, this includes 'submerged objects/shallow water warning'. These signs are in alignment with our insurers guidelines for 'remote supervision signage'."
The surf club was to host the Lower North Coast Branch championships on November 26/27 but the event has been switched to Black Head due to concerns about the safety of competitors in the surf and the lack of beach.
This would have been the first time the championship was to be held at Old Bar since the 2016/17 season.
"That's disappointing,'' Ms Lynch said.
"We're hoping to be able to hold them here next season. Hopefully the beach will be back to normal by then.''
Jane said conditions last weekend were the best so far this season.
"The back sandbar has come back in,'' she said.
"You can swim out there and you have a nice break. But it's still far too rocky for anything like a surf carnival.''
Last weekend was the first time this season the club has set up in the usual place to conduct the nipper program.
"But until then we were set up on the far side of the reef, taking kids over rocks in a risk minimalised fashion,'' she explained.
However, Jane said the situation changes every week.
"At the higher tides there are massive amounts of rips moving in and out the gully and it's pretty dangerous. Only experienced surfers can get out to the back sandbar.''
This also presents difficulties for the club when setting up weekend patrols. Beach goers tend to head straight to the traditional area in front of the surf club for a swim, even if the patrol is situated up the beach in a safer location.
"People still come straight off the ramp onto the beach and go straight in, even if there's not a patrol there,'' Jane said.
"And it's just so dangerous. We've copped it at times from members of the public, who say it's not a safe place to swim. But it we don't set up right in front then people will swim there and they're going to get hurt.''
People still come straight off the ramp onto the beach and go straight in, even if there's not a patrol there. It's just so dangerous. We've copped it at times from members of the public, who say it's not a safe place to swim.
- Jayne Lynch, Old Bar Beach Surf Club president
Jane said the club is struggling with patrol numbers this season, while bronze squad training is also impacted by the beach conditions.
"We've lost about 25 per cent of our patrol numbers and I think that's due to the beach conditions,'' she said.
However, Jane said despite the problems nipper numbers are on par with previous years.
"That's one pleasing thing,'' she said.
Jane understands there's little the club can do about the situation apart from warning about the potential danger and hope Mother Nature intervenes in a positive way before the end of the surf season in April.
