Float to Survive message demonstrated in ocean rip at Sydney’s Manly Beach

A demonstration of the Float to Survive message has been performed today at Sydney’s Manly Beach with Craig Riddington and Bruce ‘Hoppo’ Hopkins of Surf Educators International (SEI) taking Manly Sea Eagles players Reuben Garrick, Karl Lawton, Jason Saab and coach Anthony Seibold into the sea to show them how to respond if caught in an ocean rip.

Riddington and Hopkins used the NRL stars to show the dangers of ocean rips to even the healthiest of young adults, showing the benefits of float when caught in a rip to enhance their survival chances in the ocean if caught in a rip.

Along with former Ironman Riddington, Hopkins is the public face of the Float to Survive initiative.

As Waverley Council Head Lifeguard and star of the hit TV show, Bondi Rescue, Hopkins has spent over 30 years working as a full-time professional lifeguard at Bondi Beach and has rescued hundreds of people from the surf.

Concerned about drowning numbers, particularly during the current summer, Hopkins stated “Float to Survive is a simple message but it maximises your chance of survival.”

The message differs from Surf Life Saving Australia’s mantra to ‘swim between the flags’ as it takes account that not all beaches are patrolled and even on patrolled beaches, people to get into difficulties away from flagged areas.

Supported by Sydney’s Waverley and Randwick Councils in NSW, which is marketing the message throughout the two local government areas this summer, the University of NSW is conducting  surveys this summer to see if the Float to Survive message resonates with their residents.

Depending on the results Matt Thistlethwaite MP for Kingsford Smith who is championing the message will seek federal funding to promote Float to Survive as a national drowning prevention message.

Ian Lee from Aquatic Safety Consultants Australia notes “people only remember one or two things.

“Telling somebody to swim between the flags doesn’t help those enjoying the inland waterways. Float to Survive is a great message. Many people drown because they exhaust themselves before help arrives.”

The strategy can be used in any aquatic situation whether it is in the surf, creek, river, lake or swimming pool.

However, the frustration for Hopkins is seeing record funding for water safety being provided yet drownings are still increasing.

As he noted “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.”

The Float to Survive campaign received a confidence boost when he discovered that Britain’s largest ocean safety provider the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) developed a similar water safety campaign a few years ago.

Their campaign ‘Float to Live’ is supported by research undertaken at the University of Portsmouth by Professor of Human and Applied Physiology Mike Tipton.

Professor Tipton’s research showed that if people fought the instinct to struggle when in the water and simply floated, they greatly increased their chance of survival. SAS Australia host, Ant Middleton was also an ambassador for the campaign in the UK.

Professor Tipton explains “education is a really critical component feeding into preventative medicine.

“So, if people know what’s going to happen to them when they go in the water, they tend to deal with it better - we’ve done studies that prove that. If they know how to behave and you teach how to behave, then survivability just goes up off the scale.

“You’ve simply got to have the confidence to do nothing and to fight that instinct to thrash bout and swim”.

Today’s event at Manly Beach attracted significant media interest, with 7News, Nine News and Channel 10 in attendance.

Images: Manly Sea Eagles players in a rip at Manly Beach today (top), players Reuben Garrick, Karl Lawton, Jason Saab and coach Anthony Seibold with Craig Riddington, Bruce ‘Hoppo’ Hopkins of Surf Educators International (middle) and Riddington wearing a Float to Survive rash vest (below).