VISIT PEGGYS COVE – SAFELY
Peggy's Cove is a beautiful place.
People have died here.
There are a few rules to follow so you return home with happy memories of a very special place.
Rule1: Do not walk on the dark rocks - EVER.
You will notice most of the rocks have a light tone. The water can reach these rocks too, but when the rocks are darker that means water is currently wetting those stones. The dark rocks are both slippery and are a good indicator of where the waves are currently impacting.
Rule2: Do not walk on the slippery weeds at the water's edge - EVER
Weeds grow where the rock is regularly wet and are by nature extremely slippery. You can find yourself in the ocean in seconds and once there will likely not be able to get back out.
Peggys Cove is unlike a normal beach or a lakefront. The ocean will suck you under and likely bash your body against the rocks. Even the very best swimmers in the world would likely drown in these waters.
Rule3: Do not turn your back to the ocean if you are anywhere near the water's edge - EVER
Waves are variable and one minute it seems calm and the next minute they are much larger than expected. This can happen the moment you turn your back, so please practice what we can call defensive wave watching. A mistaken soaking at a beach is rarely fatal, a mistaken soaking at Peggys Cove can lead to slippery rocks and your being pulled into the ocean. There is no room for this error.
Rule 4: Even the above 3 rules may not suffice as large waves can come out of nowhere and catch anyone off guard.
Visitors must always keep a healthy distance from where the rocks meet the ocean.
Once you fall in the ocean there is virtually no way to get back on dry land.
You will most likely die in a place that moments before was giving you such joy.
We want every visitor to return home with good memories of Nova Scotia’s Peggys Cove.
Are we scaring you?
Millions of visitors have enjoyed visiting Peggys Cove without incident and there is no need to ever be scared of visiting our beautiful Cove.
We want to share our beauty with you and we want you to go home with wonderful memories.
A physical fence would ruin its beauty so we need to build a fence in your minds. Imagine a line that should never be crossed and all will be fine.
We hav already lost too many to a place that usually brings much joy.
From this moment forward (May 2022) let’s celebrate Peggys Cove with no more deaths.
Please.
Never walk on the dark black rocks or the weeds that cover the rocks closest to the ocean. Once you slip in there may be no way to save you. Photo credt: Unknown
A tweet from April 19, 2022 – barely a week after Hershil Barot drowned off the rocks at Peggys Cove.
A local twitter account with pictures, videos and links to those who have dared nature and survived or, sadly, did did not survive. The name is blunt – but I do believe they are trying their level best to get the point across that Peggys Cove is NOT the place to tempt fate.
This is an article with video of someone who could have lost their life in Newfoundland near the Cape Spear Light. Watch it so you can see how lucky they were. The article is here: https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2194827331584
Or, watch it at YouTube:
An excellent article about a group that is attempting to use humour to teach visitors about the dangers of Peggys Cove. See the article at CBC.
A link to a Global News piece about the loss of life on April 12, 2022. We remember Hershil Barot below.
Zarin Barot was visiting his brother, Harshil, at his new home in Halifax last week (11 April 2022), when a group of their friends decided to visit the popular tourist site of Peggys Cove.
..Barot said his brother slipped on the rocks, and when he tried to save him, he fell as well. By this time the tide was rising and both were swept into the water.
…Barot said after some time in the water, he lost consciousness and woke up the next day in an intensive care unit.
He wants his brother to be remembered, and the family wants change at Peggys Cove. They said they never want such a tragedy to happen to anyone else.
Text from CBC article.
Millions have Visited Peggys Cove
Almost every visitor returns home with lovely photographs and stories of their time by the ocean.
Some return home because of sheer luck. A few never return home. Please do not tempt fate.
Enjoy the ocean experience from a safe distance.
