Safeswim tells you about the risk of getting sick from swimming in recreational waters

Pollution from stormwater and wastewater networks and other sources can make the water quality at beaches and in lakes and rivers unfit for swimming.

Safeswim displays colour-coded pins to indicate the risk of getting sick due to the presence of faecal matter (poo) in the water. Safeswim shows a green pin (low risk of illness) or a red pin (high risk of illness) depending on whether water quality is predicted to meet or exceed New Zealand guideline values for swimming. A black pin is shown if a wastewater overflow is detected near a beach.

The information on Safeswim is based on the health risk of swimming and other activities that involve full immersion in water (known as primary contact recreation). The swimming guideline is based on the risk of getting sick from being immersed in the water for 10 minutes and putting your head under the water three times. The health risk of activities which do not involve full immersion in water, like sailing, kayaking, or paddle boarding, may be substantially less than swimming.

Safeswim provides real-time information on water quality conditions posing a risk to public health

Safeswim uses a combination of predictive models, real-time monitoring and manual reporting to provide real-time information on water quality conditions at popular swimming locations.

The models use real-time data on rainfall, wind, and other environmental factors to simulate water quality at each individual beach. The water quality predictions on Safeswim are updated at least every 15 minutes.

Wastewater overflows are a key source of faecal contamination. They are more common in wet weather and in older urban areas that have combined networks carrying both stormwater and wastewater, which are designed to overflow during heavy rainfall. When sensors in the network detect a wastewater overflow in progress, the Safeswim system automatically overrides the predicted model results to show a black pin at the relevant beach or beaches.

Operational staff can also manually override modelled water quality predictions to show red or black pins when other conditions likely to cause a public health risk occur (e.g., algal blooms or an un-monitored discharge from the wastewater network).

Safeswim also provides real-time information on surf lifesaving patrols and swimming conditions

Surf Life Saving New Zealand (SLSNZ) is the beach and coastal safety, drowning prevention, and rescue authority in Aotearoa, New Zealand.

All SLSNZ lifeguarded beaches in New Zealand are indicated on Safeswim by a red and yellow lifeguard flag, and the dates and times that surf lifeguards are on patrol at each beach are provided.

You should always check Safeswim to find a lifeguarded beach and swim between the red and yellow flags.

SLSNZ uses Safeswim to provide advice on beach, coastal and other safety hazards. While on patrol, surf lifeguards can upload public safety warnings, alerting the public to hazards such as dangerous waves or wind conditions, rip currents, jellyfish or shark sightings.

When conditions are too dangerous to enter the water, surf lifeguards will raise a red flag on the beach. At the same time, the red and yellow flag on Safeswim will change to a red flag.

Under an agreement with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), SLSNZ can also upload tsunami warnings to alert the public through Safeswim.

Safeswim is an award-winning, internationally recognised programme.

An independent panel of New Zealand and international experts in water quality and public health provide oversight of the science and communication of public health risk information on Safeswim.

Safeswim was recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a global exemplar of recreational water quality communication in the WHO’s 2021 Guidelines on Recreational Water Quality. Read more about this here.

Safeswim was also the 2023 winner of the World Economic Forum Digital Twin Cities Global Pioneer Project for best practice in the world of digital twins. Read more about this here.

Our Partners

Safeswim is a collaboration between the following organisations:

Disclaimer

The information provided on Safeswim comes from a variety of sources. While Auckland Council and the Safewim Partners endeavour to ensure accuracy and timeliness, inaccuracies or delays in data updates may occasionally occur due to errors in source data, technical issues, or unforeseen circumstances. Auckland Council and the Safeswim Partners cannot guarantee that the information presented on Safeswim is accurate, complete, or current. Users are encouraged to employ their judgement.