Surf Life Saving officials and National Parks have issued a warning to those thinking about visiting Snapper Point this summer – stay out of the cave.
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The picturesque feature of Munmorah State Conservation Area has been the site of two major surf rescue operations in recent weeks, both involving an extensive allocation of resources to retrieve stranded swimmers.
Helicopters were called to the two incidents and nearby lifeguards were forced to weigh up leaving beaches to attend calls for help.
The cave has long been known as a notorious body of water by locals, but for those who haven’t visited the area before, it’s an alluring adventure.
Situated on the fringe of Central Coast Council’s border with Lake Macquarie, the cave is to the south of Catherine Hill Bay and to the north of Frazer beach, which is patrolled by the Australian Lifeguard Service (ALS) during the summer holidays.
Rescues at the cave are made difficult due to heavy swells in the channel and a lack of mobile phone and two-way radio reception.
Beach lifeguard team leader of Lake Macquarie council, Paul Stone, said lifeguards from Catherine Hill Bay regularly responded to calls for help at the cave and were involved in one of the rescues at Christmas.
“There’s two different things that go on in there at Frazer Park,” he said.
“One being the location is highly attractive to rock fishermen, it’s a rock-fishing mecca. So we certainly see more than our fair share of rock-fishermen being washed in there.
“And the other thing that happens there is the big cave. It’s not a long walk to walk around to the front of it, and a lot of people like to swim in there and have a look.
“But the challenge is, once you’re in there it’s very difficult to climb back up on the rocks… and it’s too far to swim back around to Frazer Park beach.
“Unless you’re a fairly capable person, once you’re in there you can’t get out.”
Surf Life Saving NSW told the Newcastle Herald there had been 35 major emergency callouts, major rescues or taskings its members had responded to in the past decade at Snapper Point.
Nine drownings had also occurred at the popular rock-fishing site in that time.
Surf Life Saving Central Coast chairman Stuart Harvey, who is also a director for Surf Life Saving NSW, said the “beautiful spot” of Snapper Point can sometimes relax visitor’s decision making.
“It’s a very, very inviting area to go to,” he said.
“It’s calm from the outside but you swim in there and it’s pretty scary. It can be treacherous and the conditions can change very fast.
“If you have any doubt, you can start to panic pretty quickly.”
Mr Harvey, who possibly provided the perfect summation of the area by also referring to Snapper Point as “deadly”, said the cave can cause havoc for nearby lifeguards at Frazer beach.
Over the past five seasons, the ALS lifeguards have performed 80 rescues in the Frazer beach patrolled area.
When the first cave rescue occurred last month there was hundreds of people on the beach, making resource allocation a difficult choice.
“They can’t just drop the flags and leave their patrolled area,” Mr Harvey said.
“People who swim in there have no idea what they’re doing to us.
You take your life into your own hands once you start to enter that cave.
- Surf Life Saving Central Coast chariman Stuart Harvey
“If you’re not a good swimmer and experienced and know the area, you’re crazy going in there.
“The amount of rescues that are performed by members of the public that are not reported would be enormous as well.”
An Office of Environment and Heritage spokesperson, speaking on behalf of National Parks, said the recent rescues were of “great concern”.
“Signs warning people of the hazards in the area, including the Snapper Point cave, have been posted for a considerable period of time in the nearby car park and above the cave by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service,” they said.
“There have been some recent rescues at the site after people were stranded in the cave. This of great concern as sea and weather conditions can quickly change and fill the cave with water.
“NPWS is calling on people to think about the consequences of their actions, the impact an accident would have on themselves, their family and friends and the emergency services people who put their lives at risk to undertake rescues.
“The cave is a unique natural feature and it can be enjoyed from a safe distance from vantage points in the Munmorah State Conservation Area.”
