Beautiful spring weather has brought many tourists to Peggys Cove in recent days.
But some visitors are taking dangerous chances on the slippery rocks, less than two weeks after the death of a young man from Ontario.
Among the crowd on Tuesday was a group of Toronto university students, including Aaron Spritzer. He ended up with torn pants after he got too close to the water and slipped on the rocks.
“It’s very mesmerizing, and you kind of ignore all the warnings, all the cautionary signs and once you get closer, you don’t realize how slippery the rocks are,” Spritzer said.
A group of tourists from the U.K. heard about the recent death of the young Ontario man.
“It seems to me people will make a judgment about how risky a venture is, regardless of the signs,” said tourist Chris Towner. “They look out, they see the sea is reasonably calm. They ignore the signs and then something unexpected happens.”
One British tourist said the site reminds her of a place near Bristol, U.K. where quicksand poses a hazard to visitors.
“I think it’s very similar. You can put up all the signs you want, but people will look and think, calm sea. Or back home, it’s just sand – what can happen? And they’ll go out and they’re just not aware,” said Lucy Towner.
Some have suggested building fencing along the rocks at Peggys Cove. There have also been calls for safety ropes with buoys to be anchored a few yards offshore.
“We do expect, as the weather gets warmer, that as the tourists increase at Peggys Cove people will start to go out more and more,” said Halifax District RCMP Cpl. Greg Church. “Typically, historically, there is an increase in calls for service.”
Nova Scotia government officials say they have spoken with all parties involved in the latest death, but they have not decided on any new safety measures yet.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Ron Shaw
