Sydney Beaches

Water sports are very important for the Sydneysiders, and the very fine beaches round Sydney give plenty of opportunity for practicing them. Within the harbor area there are many sheltered beaches, and outside it, on the coast, surfers are catered to by more exposed beaches with high surf. However the danger from sharks cannot be emphasized too strongly. The surfing beaches on the Pacific are patrolled during the long summer season by volunteer lifeguards, who also run very popular lifesaving competitions. Swimmers should keep within the marked areas, which are designed to protect swimmers from surfers as well as from sharks.