May 2026 (ROTM#209) Forrest Caves Beach, Victoria, Australia

The rip at the end of the staircase

I’m moving on from my famous tourist beaches theme to one about beaches on Phillip Island in Victoria, Australia. Back in March I was lucky enough to be invited by Bass Coast Shire Council to take part in a beach safety day they organised and held at the Woolamai Beach Surf Life Saving Club. It was very much a multicultural event in response to a tragic incident that occurred in January 2024 when 4 members of an extended Indian-Australian family drowned in a rip current at Forrest Caves Beach. Forrest Caves Beach is an unpatrolled and dangerous beach, but draws tourists who seek out the caves at low tide.

During my visit, I went for an early morning walk and took this picture on the stairs leading down to the beach. Just to the right of the rocks on the beach was a rip current that is likely persistent in location due to the presence of the rocks. It may have been the same rip current the poor family drowned in. What I’m looking at is the area of water where the waves aren’t breaking as much, the water is a darker green colour in contrast with the surrounding whitewater and the water surface has a bumpy texture. All characteristics of a channelised rip current.

The picture doesn’t do the beach justice. This is a high energy beach with large waves and the rip was flowing incredibly fast. Even if you were wading waste deep in the rip, it could easily have knocked people over and carried them out to sea. The whole set up just felt like a death trap and to address this the Council has developed and added more safety signage which I will talk about next month. I was also the only person on the beach. Help felt a long, long way away.