We shouldn’t try to tame the sea

[memory man]

Wave breakers ruin the natural coastline and litter the shore with ugly lines of boulders that create pollution. They are absurd, pointless and expensive
We see the headline every summer: Deadly Paphos coast claims another life. The scenario is usually the same. A low pressure system to the west of the island generates large swells that break along the exposed coastline between Tombs of the Kings and Coral Bay, creating strong rip currents that carry an unsuspecting bather out to sea. Panic sets in as the swimmer tries to battle the rip. Exhaustion and drowning soon follow. The media are up in arms for a few days and local officials scramble to find answers. Beaches are closed and fenced off, signs are put up, ropes put out, and the permanent solution of wave breakers once again touted. Slowly the furore dies down until the next tragic death, and the cycle repeats itself.

This year however it looks like things will finally change, and the long-awaited wave breakers will finally be built. But are wave breakers really the solution? Statistics show that we are more likely to be killed by a careless driver on our way to the beach than by anything that can happen in the water, and as a regular swimmer and surfer along this stretch of coast, I feel the problem is greatly misunderstood.

There are coastlines the world over where waves break with far greater ferocity and power than they do in Paphos, yet we do not see the beaches of Los Angeles or San Diego hemmed in by wave breakers. The coastlines of Sydney and Brisbane are not littered with boulders in an attempt to hold back the Pacific, because people there accept the sea for what it is, and for the most part interact with it sensibly and with the appropriate caution required for the prevailing conditions.

Swimming in the sea is a wilderness experience and building wave breakers to make it safer is absurd, pointless and expensive. We would not suggest levelling a mountain just because people have died climbing it, nor would we dare raze a forest because hikers have been lost inside. So why do we insist on trying to stop the sea from taking its natural course?

The obvious answer is that we are afraid. This in itself is no bad thing, as a healthy fear of the sea helps us to stay safe. But fear can also blind us and make us do irrational and dangerous things, like ignoring the power of the sea and failing to recognise hazards. In Cyprus we tend to view the sea as a huge benign swimming pool. We swim for two months during summer and for the rest of the year the sea is nothing more than a scenic backdrop to enjoy during a walk or drive. Interaction is on our own comfortable terms, and when the sea does something we don’t like, our response is to try to control it and bring it back to that pleasant state where we can bathe happily without having to worry about something awful happening to us.

So, fearful as we are, the decision to build wave breakers is entirely understandable. The sea must be conquered and controlled, made safer for locals and tourists alike, and our fears must be vanquished. But as some experts have already pointed out, wave breakers may actually make the situation worse by funnelling swells into the narrow corridors between the rocks and amplifying their power once the do reach shore. Bigger waves make for stronger rip currents and greater danger. And on calmer days, the water inside the wave breakers will stagnate as it cannot circulate freely. Moreover, we have no idea what kind of problems wave breakers might create further down the coast. The recent pollution of Limassol’s beaches has been attributed by one expert to the construction of the breakwater at the new marina, and this could very well happen in Paphos as well.

So what can we do?

First, we need to give up on the idea of controlling the sea. Wave breakers are useless and expensive. They ruin the natural coastline and litter the shore with ugly lines of boulders that create pollution. They have no place in the natural environment, and except in cases of erosion control, should be abandoned altogether.

Secondly, as a short term fix, we need to employ more lifeguards and extend their working hours. Paphos lifeguards are very experienced and capable in rough water rescues, and the number of drownings would be far higher were it not for their vigilance. The millions spent on wave breakers that are useful for three months of the year, if at all, would be better spent on salaries for working people and not gifted to big contractors to blight the marine landscape.

Thirdly, and most importantly, we need a long term strategy to reintroduce ourselves to the sea. We need to get to know it properly and teach ourselves, our children and our guests how to interact with it safely and respectfully. Swimming should be a compulsory part of the school curriculum and short water safety classes given to tourists where possible. Most Cypriots have no inner connection to the sea and it features very little in our popular culture and traditions. We need to generate more interest regarding marine life, water activities and conservation and spend more time learning about our corner of the big blue.

The Polynesians explored the great Pacific Ocean in wooden canoes, leaving their mark from Fiji to Rapa Nui. Our Greek cousins sailed the Mediterranean and beyond for thousands of years, pioneering the modern shipping industry and bringing trade and prosperity to each corner of the globe. Our own contribution as fellow islanders is lamentable: we shut ourselves off from the sea by building walls along our shores to keep ourselves from knowing and understanding it.

Cypriot fishermen have an old saying; ‘he who does not fear the sea, does not fear God’. Surely it will take more than a few wave breakers to temper such a great and beautiful force.

Limassol-based John Ioannou has been involved in the ship management industry for nearly 20 years,

source:- http://cyprus-mail.com/2017/05/14/shoul ... -tame-sea/

[Rita Sherry]

Memory Man

That is a splendid analysis of the powers of nature and thank you for drawing attention to it. It has always been my view that mankind is permitted to use nature and its forces but never conquer them.

Rita