Surf Life Saving Australia research exposes lesser-known coastal threats

New research from Surf Life Saving Australia shows that almost 40% of deaths that occur on the coast are not drowning related, with cardiac conditions and traumatic injuries the major culprits.

Conducted by Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) and published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, the research shows over half of these non-drowning deaths were due to cardiac conditions (51.8%) with other causes including traumatic/collision injuries (15.9%) falls (10.4%) and marine creatures (5%).

Of all 1,667 deaths on the coast over a 10-year period, less than 2% were attributed to marine creatures of any kind, including jellyfish and sharks.

Explaining that the research is the first study of its kind into non-drowning fatalities on the coast and examined the causes of 620 non-drowning deaths that occurred over a 10-year period, SLSA lead researcher Sean Kelly stated “our research showed that males were 5.2 times more likely to die than females, with younger populations found to die disproportionately along the coast with the primary causes being falls and traumatic/collision injuries.

“Those living in or visiting rural and remote areas were also found to be at higher risk, largely due to poorer access to services and longer incident response times.

“While sharks are often top-of-mind for those visiting the beach, all marine creatures including sharks and jellyfish only made up 5% of non-drowning deaths and less than 2% of overall coastal deaths.”

Noting that volunteer surf lifesavers take a wholistic approach to reducing risk on the coast and are highly trained to respond to a variety of situations along the coast, SLSA Chief Executive, Adam Weir, added “even strong and experienced beach goers can find themselves in circumstances where they need urgent help, for instance because of a cardiac condition or traumatic injury. The number of deaths caused by cardiac conditions show the importance of CPR training and defibrillator access, which greatly increase the chances of survival in these incidents.

“All our patrolling members have been trained in these skills and responding to non-drowning incidents is a big part of what we do. I would encourage everyone to undergo CPR or First Aid training which is provided by Surf Life Saving in each State.

“Where possible, always swim at a patrolled beach between the red and yellow flags or if you are at an unpatrolled location, swim with a buddy, and make sure you know what to do if you find yourself in a dangerous situation.”

The research Beyond drowning: Characteristics, trends, the impact of exposure on unintentional non-drowning coastal fatalities between 2012 and 2022 has been published in the  Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health.

Click here to access the abstract of the article.

Image credit: Surf Life Saving Australia.