Safety signs installed at Six Mile Beach near Nelson

A beach near Nelson where a man drowned in July 2020 has new signs warning visitors about an unstable sandspit and strong undertow.

Two signs have been installed at Six Mile Beach, a popular spot for locals and tourists.

The Regional District of Central Kootenay’s Area F director Tom Newell said the signs are only temporary, however, because they have not yet been audited by the B.C. and Yukon branch of the Lifesaving Society.

That audit could add signs, change their location and add more information.

“We’re prepared to do a different set of signs or relocate or whatever based on what the audit is,” said Newell.

Previously, the only warnings about the beach were found on a sign covered in graffiti and homemade illustrations that were installed by locals in the days after a 23-year-old man died on July 18, 2020.

A Nelson Star investigation into the beach showed a history of fatalities and near-deaths at Six Mile, which exists on Crown land and until now has had no regional and provincial oversight.

Newell said the new signs are a collaboration between the RDCK, BC Coroners Service, Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, and the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development.

@tyler_harper | tyler.harper@nelsonstar.com