Surf Life Saving Australia launches ‘Give an F about the Flags’ new summer safety campaign

Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) has launched a new national safety campaign designed to get more people swimming between the flags.

With the campaign presenting a light-hearted approach aimed at changing beach behaviour, SLSA Chief Executive, Adam Weir advised “the campaign is a fun way to remind people that the red and yellow flags mark the safest place for people to swim and is where surf lifesavers and lifeguards are keeping watch over beachgoers.”

With last year seeing no drownings ‘between the flags’ on Australia’s beaches, Weir added “the message this summer is simple. Find a patrolled beach via the BeachSafe APP or BeachSafe website and swim between the flags.”

With a significant element of the campaign aimed at young males, four time Nutri-Grain Ironman Champion Ali Day is backing its message.

Day stated “young blokes continue to take risks when visiting the beach and as a result, they are the group most at risk of drowning on our beaches.

“Surf lifesavers are there to keep everyone safe. We don’t want people taking risks, we want everyone to return home to their loved ones and enjoy the beaches safe.

“So listen to the advice of surf lifesavers this summer, find a patrolled beach and stay between the red and yellow flags."

Coinciding with the opening of the World Conference on Drowning Prevention (WCDP) in Perth, the ‘Give an F about the Flags’ campaign launched yesterday online, with the campaign to be rolled out nationally across TV, print, online and outdoor media.

The campaign speaks directly the statistics released as part of the 2022/23 National Coastal Safety Report released last week by SLSA that shows:

• 125 drowning deaths occurred during the past 12 months

• Men continue to be over represented, accounting for 82% of all drowning deaths in the past 12 months.

• 50% of drowning deaths occurred to older adults (aged 55+ years)

• 66% of drowning deaths happened more than 1 kilometre from a patrolled beach

• Alarmingly, 31% of drowning deaths were nearby residents to the drowning location

• Rip currents were involved in 22% of this years coastal drowning deaths

• 5 million adults have been unintentionally caught in a rip current at some point in their life.

Drownings occurring outside the flags
With 100% of all drownings last year occurring outside of flags, the WCDP has this week seen debate on whether beach safety messages should also include survival skills for those in danger when outside the flags.

Here Bruce 'Hoppo' Hopkins, President of the Australian Pool and Ocean Lifeguard Association (APOLA) and multiple Olympic swimming champion Dr Shane Gould have each advocated floating skills as a survival method.

Image credit: Surf Life Saving Australia.