OK, the coastline of Karachi city, is about 64 kilometers long. I am (as you can see from the map) a resident of the Clifton & Seaview Beach, which is the most popular beach of Pakistan (attracting over many millions of visitors each year). Now this is a very safe and shallow beach. You can walk 50 feet into the ocean, and the water level will rise only about a foot. The waves too are not too big (as the breakwater of the Karachi harbor is also providing shelter to my beach). However yesterday I got to visit Karachi's Hawks Bay beach (which is technically outside the city limits, towards the west). Now this beach is indeed a very dangerous and steep one. As here you can walk just 10 feet forward, and the water level may rise to 7 or even 9 feet! Last time I was here was 25 years ago! The waves here are also huge! Which is why during every Monsoon Season, this entire beach is closed for swimmers. You are still allowed to visit, just don't get into the water (unless you happen to be suicidal)... There I also met Mr. Miraj Khan, the Chief Lifeguard who oversees this entire area (a 17 kilometer long stretch) - From where Hawks Bay stars (at the west of Karachi), right up to Paradise Point, where Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (KANUPP) is situated. http://www.paec.gov.pk/kanupp/kanupp-index.htm Mr. Miraj Khan and his team of over 55+ men are actually a group of firefighters and some local volunteers (patrolling over the beach 24/7). Anyway, they were all very welcoming - And even gave me a free class in aquatic rescue, as well as a tour of their Headquarters! So these pictures are from my visit yesterday. It was not yet high tide, still the pictures turned out really nice (and the weather too was partly cloudy, and thus not mercilessly hot)... While giving me a tour as well as teaching all about aquatic rescue - The team got an emergency call, so they got into their vehicles and instantly swung into action! It turned out to be nothing but a misplaced child who had wondered off a little over the beach - Whom they found in about 5 minutes, and so returned to their center - That young boy however soon got spanked in the open by his angry/worried mother, but the lifeguards did not bother to rescue him from this (as this doesn't exactly come under their authority)! Anyhow I must say that in all of Karachi (which is a city of over 20 million people now), you are not likely to find a finer gentleman then Mr. Miraj Khan, Chief of Hawks Bay aquatic rescue center! And by the way, if anyone ever wants to volunteer as a lifeguard, their doors are always open! I however was a bit disappointed (almost exactly like when a child realizes that there really is no such thing as the Tooth Fairy) - As I actually went to the beach in search of someone like Pamela Anderson)!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! At the Emergency Response Center ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Bluebottle - The greatest threat to swimmers in this season. ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Inside the center. ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Inside their first aid room. ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Inside their briefing room. ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) being taught how to use this rescue device. ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Also being shown another rescue device. ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) being taught how to spot trouble and call for assistance. ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Lifeguard watch tower. ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Waves striking the beach huts. ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Another hut getting pounded by waves. ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Chief getting in this truck to answer an emergency call. ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) High tension power lines coming from the Nuclear Plant. ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Paradise Point Beach. ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Paradise Point Lifeguard tower. ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Paradise Point Beach again. ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) At the Paradise Point! ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Waves crashing at the Paradise Point. ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) West side of the Paradise Point. ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Another shot of the west side. ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) The league of extraordinary gentlemen! ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Paradise Point, departing shot. ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden )
That was quite the impressive tour S-H. Thanks for sharing. Although you should know at your age Ms. Anderson is really not the real deal....keep looking for something a little more realistic . There are real women out there....I wouldn't consider her the kind you should be looking for. You might drown tripping over yourself to see her and the lifeguards just let you pass on because they too were too busy looking at her too.
The Pamela Anderson bit was actually my attempt at making a joke over here... Reality is that I was actually very impressed by these lifeguards, specially how they so quickly found a lost child (on a 17 kilometer long beach) and returned him to his parents in less then 5 minutes flat! For them it's all in a day's work - But I sure was impressed!
I figured that, too, but I assumed you may not be safe if she was there and then we wouldn't have the cool stuff you think about and contribute on here and we would all loose!
Isn't it nice to know that a favorite family fun place is guarded by such dedicated men! Thanks for the scenery photos, I love looking at the ocean. Beautiful beach, those beach huts are they rentals or vacation homes? They sure look sturdy enough to withstand anything the Arabian Sea can throw at them.
Very interesting... and pretty! I can see why the warnings were out... definitely some dangerous conditions. Cheers to the rescue team(s) for all their great work.
Actually the Hawks Bay beach is known as the killer beach, if one is crazy enough to get into the water that is (even if the sea is calm)... But people still come to have a picnic, and some stupidly do end up going into the water (without realizing how treacherous this beach really is). Which of course always creates a major problem for these Lifeguards. There are many beach huts here (numbering to almost a thousand), some can indeed be rented for a day or for a whole season too. But the majority are owned by either wealthy folk - Or by big corporations (like giant petrochemical companies), and thus are used as one of the many perks granted to their executives. My father once had the option to buy one many years ago. But the problem here is that the governmental lease of the land expires after just 10 years. This is done because anything that you may constrict here, will soon (in about a decade and a half) get eroded by the constant pounding of the waves. While elsewhere in the city, land has a standard 99 year lease. So that's why we settled at Seaview Beach instead (which is extremely calm for the entire year). Anyway, regulations dictate that you construct the hut with salt resistant concrete, and it must also be reinforced with steel scaffolding and iron girders. But these are the standard construction guidelines - As making homes out of wood is unthinkable here (believe it or not). Because a wooden structure over here sometimes costs more then one built out of solid concrete... Yes, the lifeguards over there are really one of the best in the world! And since 1997 (when this unit was established), there hasn't been a single death of a Lifeguard here! Once a team of Lifeguards came on a visit from Australia (as part of an exchange program). And they also said: "Are you guys insane to be getting into such waters?"... However the only major issues that these Lifeguards of Hawks Bay have, is that they are not given an official helicopter squad of their own... And this is because of the Nuclear Reactor Power Plant which is also built on the same beach... Therefore that whole area is actually a very strict *No Fly Zone*. But the huge military installation which is guarding the Reactor can easily come to assist the Lifeguards with their own helicopters at a moment's notice. In fact the Navy, Coastguards, Pakistan Customs, as well as the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency are all just a single phone or radio call away for these Lifeguards! The local police is also kept on stand-by (24/7) - But it is these Lifeguards of Hawks Bay Beach who are always spearheading into danger first! When I used to watch the Baywatch TV, I often thought that they sure must be exaggerating a few things (showing the Lifeguards to be more important then they actually were) - But now I realize that whatever I saw on that TV show, was nowhere near as exciting and dangerous as it is in the real world. Specially at the Haws Bay Beach of Karachi city... By the way, anyone who is visiting Karachi, always remember that the emergency number for police assistance is 15, while for aquatic rescue it is 16. In the US it is 911, and in UK it is 999, but here it is always 15 for assistance on land, and 16 for emergency situations at the ocean or anywhere on the coast. Remember now, it is always 15, and 16 - Both can easily be dialed by any cell phone also. The entire coastline of Karachi today has excellent cell phone coverage (with practically no blind sports anymore). I say all this because these Lifeguards made sure that I fully understood that even though they gave me a short course in Aquatic Rescue - They also stressed me to always resist the urge to become a hero, and just call them whenever there is anything out of the ordinary. Even if it later turns out to be nothing, do call us first. At the most we will only waste a little fuel - Which is actually a very small price to pay when compared to a loss of life. So no heroics please, just call us first (they said). Another shot of the Arabian Sea. ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Cement umbrella built just a few years ago, now is eroded by the weather. ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) More waves crashing. ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Warning sing at the rocky beach. ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Even more waves pounding the shore. ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden )
S-H: Yikes the scenery is beautiful, it's hard to believe it could be so dangerious. I'm sure that thought gets people in trouble. Thank you for sharing those great photo's
Well, since everyone else over here does not hesitate to share their amazing pictures from all over the world - So too the moment I have something interesting to share, I also will post it here without any delay! And yes, this beach is the most dangerous beach near Karachi city. I'm sure that there must be even more life-threatening beaches on the Pakistani coastline - But since Hawks Bay Beach is so near to population, it has become notorious as the killer beach... The basic problem is that this is not actually a sandy beach, but a rocky one. That's why it is hazardous for swimmers (for the entire year). Even small boats avoid this area, as the shallow rocks easily damage the hull. But in the Monsoon season the sea too becomes extra rough (from mid May to mid September). So the problem gets multiplied by a factor of 10 on this beach!
Lifeguards S-H. Do the lifeguards there have the same status quo of, let's say, a lifeguard in Huntington Beach, CA?
Well, I'm not exactly sure what you mean by the same status quo as a lifeguard on Huntington Beach CA... Are you talking of the level of authority they can exercise, or the pay scale? If so, then things I think are a bit different, as these lifeguards are actually a unit from the city's Fire Brigade (as rescue, be it from any type of danger, comes under the Fire & Rescue department)... Whereas USA Lifeguards are a branch of the US coastguards I think. Still, to be 100% honest, I've never really been to Huntington Beach CA. But generally speaking, life for these lifeguards and what they usually face is not much different then what was shown in the Baywatch TV show. They all really are unsung heroes... Things which are different here, is of course a Nuclear Reactor built on this beach - Because of which these lifeguards are denied a rescue helicopter of their own (as this place is a very strict no-fly-zone). Even flying a small RC aircraft or kite is not allowed. Military presence which is guarding the reactor will instantly take action upon anyone who breaks this rule. The Nuclear Reactor was built here because this is a geologically stable area (with solid rock everywhere). Plus this was all an unpopulated zone in the early 70s (when the reactor was build). But one after another, people started to build huts (more or less unregulated). So the authorities decided to regularize the zone and provide some utilities (so they could apply exuberant property tax to each hut)... And of course, the major difference is - No Pamela Anderson on this beach. However come to think of it, she isn't really a Lifeguard, but is just an ordinary actress (so I now seriously doubt if anyone life her would be found in any American beach either)! By the way, most of these pictures, I've taken from over the cliff (which is about 35 to 50 feet above the beach) - I did so as I was not allowed to even step on the beach at this most dangerous side. So in these picture, it may seem that the waves are maybe no more then 3 feet high - But in actuality they are 10 to 12 footers! And the sound they made when they broke on the shore, was literally deafening. This picture taken from the Paradise Point cliff. ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Rough sea. ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Chief showing how a riptide is formed. ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) The Arabian Sea. ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) The insignia of our Lifeguards. ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden )
I read all about that nuclear plant. I, too, found it interesting as to where it was built. Sad to say, your beaches are about as bland as our beaches. No white pure sand and crystal blue waters. Look for pics soon of our beach. But for sure we don't have rip tides like that. Just constant, steady, baby waves. Also, I didn't see any surfers. Where do they hangout.
Well, since there is an official ban on all types of water sports activity during the entire Monsoon season - Is why you don't see any swimmers or surfers. And as I had said so before, this is a very dangerous rocky beach (not a sandy beach). So it would be crazy to swim or surf no matter if the sea is rough or clam... Even sharks don't come here to feed (as they too are not crazy enough to get their flesh tron apart by the sharp underwater rocks)... I think this is also one of the reasons why they build the Nuclear Reactor here, so that no one from the sea can do a surprise attack... This rocky beach with a cliff actually reminded me of the late Charlton Heston, as he screamed "You maniacs, you finally blew it up! Oh damn you! God, damn you all to hell" at the end of the original Planet of the Apes movie! By the way, surfers and other civilized stuff which is associated with normal beach activity - Actually happens on my beach, where I dwell (at the Seaview Beach of Karachi city). But generally speaking, surfing isn't as popular over here as camel rides are on the beach (don't ask why, it's just a cultural thing)! However this video (which I myself shot, edited, and uploaded, as well as created all the animations in it) of the 60th Annual Flower Show of Pakistan - Took place on my Seaview Beach (click link to see). So here conditions are totally different, as this is not at all a killer rocky beach, but a soft sandy one. In fact this beach is so safe, that you'll have trouble seeing a lifeguard on duty. http://youtu.be/CI0yR40uLT8
Anyway, in this entire thread I had forgotten to mention one thing, which is, how the "Paradise Point" got it's name... Well, it all had to do with this most unusual rock formation. Which was like a wall with a hole in the center (see the first attached picture). Nowhere in the world did such a structure existed. It really was one of a kind, unique - So that's how it got it's name! However over a decade ago, the arch fell (due to natural erosion). So that was the moment when all of Karachi cried... As we had really lost something that will never ever be seen again by future generations. :'( :sete_076: Paradise Point (in the past). ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Paradise Point (how it is now). ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden )
