Drownings highlight need for education on rip currents

In a week during which several people have drowned after getting caught in rip currents at unpatrolled beaches, the need for public awareness about coastal dangers has once again been raised.

19 drownings on the NSW coastline this summer, the highest in the state’s history, have coincided with Victorian lifesavers having conducted more than 550 rescues from mid-November to the end of January, an almost 7% increase on the same period in 2021/22.

In January, Surf Life Saving Australia General Manager, Shane Daw told SBS “rip currents are the number one hazard on our beaches, and account for almost a quarter of all drowning deaths around Australia.”

Similarly, after a series of summer drownings prior to Australia Day, Surf Life Saving Queensland Regional Manager, Aaron Purchase stated "with all of the tragedies that have occurred on our beaches, they've been away from the flagged areas which makes it so much harder for lifesavers and lifeguards to be able to respond.

"We understand that the flagged areas can get busy but they really are the safest spot on the beaches to swim."

While surf lifesavers urge people to swim between the flags, that advice only applies to patrolled beaches.

Acknowledging this, the Beach Safety Research Group at the University of NSW advises “it is well established that the vast majority of drowning fatalities on Australian beaches occur on unpatrolled beaches (places with no lifeguard/lifesaver services), at distances more than 1 km away from lifeguard/lifesaver services, or outside of patrol times.”

Advancing a complementary message, the Float to Survive initiative is being piloted in the NSW local government areas of Randwick City and Waverley this summer.

Developed by Bruce 'Hoppo' Hopkins and Craig Riddington of Surf Educators International (SEI) in partnership with the UNSW Beach Safety Research Group and backed by the Australian Pool and Ocean Lifeguard Association (APOLA), Float to Survive calls for immediate change in how swimmers are advised to act when caught in an ocean rip by advocating floating, which minimises drowning risks by conserving energy and placing a person in a better position to breathe.

Randwick City and Waverley Council’s are promoting Float to Survive through text messages and advertisements on bus shelters and in local cinemas to target visitors at some of  Sydney’s busiest beaches including Bondi, Coogee and Maroubra.

A mural promoting Float to Survive has also been painted on the promenade wall at Bondi Beach.

Hopkins, who is also President of APOLA and Waverley Council’s Head Lifeguard, expresses frustration that Australia’s drownings numbers are increasing at a time of record funding for water safety.

Hopkins notes “obviously we are missing something.

“Going back to basics is the answer.

“Educating people to stop swimming and float when they get in trouble should be our national water safety message.

“I’ve seen too many drownings where people struggle and use all their energy and drown because they can’t keep their head above the water. We have to educate people to resist their instinct to struggle and fight the water and simply float.”

World Conference on Drowning Prevention 2023
To be hosted by Royal Life Saving Society - Australia and Surf Life Saving Australia, the International Lifesaving Federation's (ILS) World Conference on Drowning Prevention (WCDP) is to be held at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre from 4th to 7th December 2023.

Click here for more information on WCDP in the Australasian Leisure Management industry Calendar.

For more information on Float to Survive go to www.floattosurvive.com.au

Images: Surf Life Saving Australia acknowledge that “rip currents are the number one hazard on our beaches" (top), Float to Survive promoted on a Sydney Eastern Suburbs bus stop (middle, credit: Ken Holloway) and in artwork on the Bondi Beach esplanade (below, credit: Ken Holloway).