SWIMMERS have been told to avoid Tuross beach this summer if lifeguards are not patrolling the popular spot.
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FAR South Coast Surf Life Saving assistant director Andrew Edmunds has singled out Tuross as one of the deadliest spots on the coast and has told people not familiar with the surf conditions to swim elsewhere.
Eurobodalla council has cut funding for professional lifeguards on the shire's beaches this season due to budget constraints and, at this stage, Tuross beaches will be left unpatrolled.
Mr Edmunds said it was a dangerous move.
"If you are not a confident swimmer and not familiar with the surf conditions I wouldn't go to those beaches," he said.
"I would head north to Moruya or Narooma in the south and just avoid swimming in the area altogether."
However his claims have been rejected by some sectors of the Tuross Head community.
A local surfer, who wanted to remain anonymous, said that due to a massive sandbar in front of Tuross Main Beach, the beach is was safe as any on the coast.
"At the moment it is as safe as a bank," he said. "Lots of people swam here on the weekend and there were no problems."
He believes it is simply a matter of exercising common sense.
"Water is water - you can drown in a puddle," he said. "You get people who go in the water who can't swim."
Tuross Beach Holiday Park proprietor Geoff Ward is confident that council will fulfil what he considers to be a moral obligation to the public, and does not endorse Mr Edmunds' comments.
"He shouldn't have said what he did without doing his homework," he said.
"The mayor has expressed to us his wish that Tuross will be patrolled, and I believe that they will find the funds."
However Mr Edmunds stands by his comments.
"I was asked what advice I had for swimmers, and I said 'swim at patrolled beaches'," he said.
"We (Far South Coast Surf Life Saving) are not trying to shame the council or impact negatively on anyone's businesses, but we have a responsibility to public safety."
He insists that Tuross Main Beach is a dangerous place to swim.
"Especially now that the lake entrance is open and a dangerous current flows through," he said.
Mr Edmunds said council may well provide funding for patrols at Tuross, but they had better do so in a hurry.
"We have left three phone messages with the mayor's office regarding this matter, and have heard nothing back," he said.
"The Australian Life Guard Service will have to recruit lifesavers to patrol Tuross, so they don't want to delay much longer."