Basin Head beach rescues raise questions

There are more water rescues at Basin Head Provincial Park than at all the other supervised provincial beaches on P.E.I. combined, and that has some people questioning why.

There were 26 rescues at provincial park beaches last year, all at Basin Head. This year, as of the end of July, 20 of 21 provincial park rescues were at Basin Head. There had beenthree so far at the six national park beaches.

A popular activity at Basin Head, jumping off the piers and bridgeinto the strong current below, could be part of what leads to trouble at the beach, says provincial lifeguard coordinator James Sullivan.

"Small children trying to jump off the pier and then find themselves 'Oh, I'm over my head now and I'm not in shallow water,'" said Sullivan.

Basin Head is also a busy beach, with up to 2,000 people visiting on a warm summer day.

• 4 require beach rescue despite calm conditions

But the number of rescues at Basin Head is far higher than Nova Scotia's most popular beach, Rainbow Haven, near Cole Harbour. That beach can get 3,000 visitors a day, and a dangerous tidal current runs off the shore.

Paul D'Eon, director of the Lifesaving Society of Nova Scotia, said there are usually only one or two rescues a summer at Rainbow Haven, and he credits the frequent warnings lifeguards give beachgoers when they're taking too much of a risk.

"The best lifeguard never has to make a rescue, because they've prevented anything from occurring," said D'Eon.

Sullivan said lifeguards do engage beachgoers at Basin Head, but on a visit to Basin Head earlier this month CBC News, on a day there was a rip current hazard, could not find anyone who had been approached by a lifeguard and warned.

Charlottetown's Paul Marshall spends a lot of time at Basin Head, and has also visited beaches in Nova Scotia. He said he's never been approached at Basin Head.

"I think the lifeguards are far better and they warn people a lot more in Nova Scotia," said Marshall.

Tourism officials were not able to provide CBC News with information on rescues at provincial park beaches in August.

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