It's an iconic spot of Mount Maunganui with calm water, picturesque views, and a perfect place to take a dip.
Yet some swimmers say Pilot Bay is also a breeding ground of potential hazards and safety concerns when in the water.
Earlier this month, the Bay of Plenty Regional Council put a call out to the community asking for feedback on how the Navigation Safety bylaws can be improved to enhance people's enjoyment of our region's harbours.
In their feedback, several people are requesting BOPRC install buoyed swim markers at Pilot Bay – creating a designated space for swimmers.
'At the moment what I see is swimmers going in all sorts of places, all sorts of directions, with no consistency to it – and I've seen some pretty nasty near-misses with craft,” says open water swimming coach and swimmer Sheryl McLay.
No competition
To combat this, Sheryl suggests a series of marker buoys spaced every 100m to 200m at Pilot Bay, extending from Salisbury Wharf to the boat ramp near Mauao's base.
She believes this would provide a safer space for swimmers, with swimmers enjoying the inside of the buoy lane and craft users enjoying the outside.
'Obviously craft are going to have to launch on the beach and then get out – but craft need to go behind swimmers not through them and certainly not competing with them. Swimmers are a unique group because their ability to see things is limited.”
As a swim coach, Sheryl encourages her students to use a brightly-coloured float to increase their visibility in the water.
'If you're swimming with your head down then what you can see and what you can respond to really quickly is actually quite limited.”
Speed concerns
She's not the only one with concerns. Another request received by council says: 'A marked swim lane in Pilot Bay is a must given the many swimmers using it. The five knot rule must be enforced for all craft, motorised and wind”.
'Like there is everywhere, there's clowns,” says Sheryl. 'There's people whose actions indicate they don't give a stuff about anyone else and sometimes that has no impact on others – other times it's outright dangerous. So if someone comes in and is doing ‘figure eights' round and round boats, and coming in right up close at high speed on a jet ski in Pilot Bay – then that's dangerous.”
Jetski enthusiast and Tauranga Jet Sport Association's former president Russell Bailey says he's 'all for supporting safety”. 'Unfortunately, it's a classic few that upset it for the swimmers but if the jetskiers that are in there are annoying the swimmers – then yeah, put some buoys in there and take your jetski somewhere else. I don't think it's going to make a huge difference even for swimmers or jetskiers because the jetskiers should be doing five knots anyway”.
Next steps
With BOPRC receiving feedback on Navigation Safety Bylaw Review, Sheryl wants to know what the next steps are.
BOPRC Toi Moana general manager regulatory services Reuben Fraser says: 'The formal process, during which everyone will be able to make submissions, will be based on what we have heard so far, including the request for a buoyed swim lane, and a draft bylaw document”.
'Hearings will be held in September ahead of a final decision in December”.
'As part of our consultation we will talk with iwi, Port of Tauranga, and local councils. There are several users like sports clubs that may have an interest in this request,” says Reuben.
Sheryl wants to see buoys in place before next summer.
'It's not hard, it's not particularly expensive and it's something that could be done quite quickly.”
Provided the request is approved, BOPRC hasn't given an expected timeframe for this initiative to be complete, saying it's 'too early to comment” in regards to costs.
To share your thoughts on this and more ideas to improve Navigation Safety Bylaws, visit: www.participate.boprc.govt.nz