Water safety campaign helps tourists stay safe

'Never swim alone, stay between the flags' and 'ask lifeguards for help' are among water safety tips printed in three different languages for overseas visitors this summer.

Newcastle City Council has printed flyers bearing simple water safety messages in Chinese, Japanese and Arabic to coincide with the resumption of full beach patrols by council lifeguards.

The city's heroic lifeguards return to Dixon Park, Stockton and Newcastle beaches for the summer surf season this Saturday until 29 April 2018.

"As well as providing professional lifeguards on our beaches, we want to educate international visitors about dangerous conditions, how to swim safely and what to do if they get into difficulty," Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said.

"Many of us are familiar with how to stay out of trouble after growing up on the beach, so we're hoping also to keep international visitors stay out of danger during their stay in Australia."

The water safety messages and accompanying diagrams have been printed on flyers distributed to the University of Newcastle, schools, the Newcastle language Centre and Multicultural Educational Centre.

The three languages were chosen with advice from the Multicultural Centre and will be followed by online content in 10 other languages.

Nobbys, Bar and Merewether beaches and Newcastle and Merewether ocean baths are patrolled all year round.