Boaties are being urged to join the crowds checking out bar crossing safety videos as the number of views surges to nearly 100,000.

The videos – which give expert advice on how to cross notoriously dangerous harbour bars in the Bay of Plenty and the Waikato – have been proving extremely popular since their launch in July 2014.

Bar crossing videos created by the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regional councils are nearing the 100,000 views mark. Photo: File.

The videos were created by the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regional council, with support from Coastguard, Maritime NZ, and Water Safety NZ.

The bars covered in the videos include Raglan and Tairua in the Waikato, plus Bowentown and Kaituna in the Bay of Plenty.

Maritime services project manager Kim Parker says they urge any boaties planning to cross the bars to check them out.

'Those boaties who've already seen them are advised to do a refresher viewing if they're planning to do bar crossings after a break away from boating,” says Kim.

She adds that bar crossings are the biggest cause of reported boating incidents in the Waikato and they've already seen an unfortunate incident on the Raglan bar this summer season

'We believe it could have been avoided with better planning and education,” she says.

'Crossing any bar is dangerous, so it's really important to get good information and good local knowledge.

'It's really easy to underestimate how dangerous crossing a bar is and getting educated is essential to help avoid getting into trouble.”

To view all the videos visit the Waikato Regional Council's website at: www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/barcrossing