Visitors continue to ignore warning signs at Peggy's Cove

Problem persists at Peggy's Cove Despite past tragedies, and warnings, pictures show visitors getting too close to water at Peggy's Cove. Heidi Petracek reports.

Windy weather can really stir up the ocean, and that was the case at Peggy’s Cove on the weekend, when once again a towering wave almost washed away sightseers on the famous rocks.

Jane MacDonald-O'Connell was visiting the famous tourist attraction with a friend on Sunday when she witnessed a group of people standing much too close to the water.

Her friend took pictures while MacDonald-O'Connell tried to get their attention.

“I was waving frantically to come back, get away from the danger, and they just turned around and kept taking pictures,” MacDonald-O'Connell said.

It was a close call.

“The women's jackets were wet, and I approached them and just said, you know, people have died here, and they really looked shocked,” she said.

O'Connell says they appeared to be tourists and, after she spoke to them, she says one of them actually went back to take more photos.

The province has put up warning signs, but some still take chances.

Monday, it seemed visitors were paying heed to the warnings.

Visitors Steve and Cindy Lipsett said they spoke to a couple from Halifax near the parking lot.

“They said ‘don't go near the black rocks,’” Lipsett said.

People who spend a lot of time in Peggys Cove say that on a day like Monday, when it's cold and windy, people tend to stay off the black rocks and away from the water. But it's when the weather is warmer that they become really concerned.

John Campbell owns the gift shop and restaurant at Peggy’s Cove. He feels the signs are doing their job on regular days - but not when it gets rough.

“When the waves are at a certain level, maybe it's 20 feet high or something, there needs to be more done to keep people away from the rocks at that point,” Campbell said.

MacDonald-O'Connell thinks the warnings should be closer to the dangerous rocks.

“I think paint the rocks, draw lines, don't go past this line, you know? Something …” she said.

Something more than the existing signs, she says, to remind people to admire the beauty of Peggy’s Cove from a safe distance.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Heidi Petracek.