UNSW researchers call for more education on dangers of ocean rip currents

A 20 year study of drowning deaths at Australian beaches due to rip currents has found a small reduction in the deaths of men, but little change to the total number of people who drowned because of rip currents.

In research published this week in the journal Injury Prevention, researchers from UNSW Sydney and Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) looked at statistics recorded between 2004 and 2023 that were attributed to swimmers drowning after getting caught in a rip current. During this time, 407 people died, with the largest cohorts being men (85%), people aged 20-34 (38%), drowning deaths occurring in regional or remote areas (59%) and in the presence of others (80%).

It noted that for every tragic death, an estimated 2449 people were rescued by someone else while 8171 people were able to get out of trouble by themselves during the same period.

PhD candidate and study lead author Sean Kelly from UNSW's Centre for Marine Science and Innovation says while it's heartening to see rip-related drowning in men declining in the study period - with a decline of 2% every two years, or 18% overall during the study period - the decline observed for rip current drowning death more broadly was negligible.

Study design limitations meant it was not possible to find out why there was a slight decline in male drowning deaths, although Kelly offered a couple of possible factors, explaining "one reason is that messaging around rip currents is improving.

"There were some good behavioural campaigns targeted at men that ran during this study such as Surf Life Saving Australia's 'Think Line' campaign. Plus, we've seen some practical guides on how to spot a rip.

"The slight decline in male rip current drowning is a promising finding, however, they still remain overrepresented in drowning statistics. There is still work to be done to decrease the overall rate of drowning among males and other population groups."

Bystander tragedies
The report identified that bystander rescue attempts of people caught in a rip are the second highest proportion of rip current drowning deaths.

Just over 15% of all drowning deaths due to rips came when a bystander, most often a family member, died when trying to rescue someone caught in a rip. The authors suggest safety advice focused on bystander rescue scenarios should also be developed.

Professor Rob ‘Dr Rip’ Brander, part of UNSW's Beach Safety Research Group and a co-author on the study, notes that bystander rescues that go wrong are sometimes a result of rushing in before assessing the situation or calling for help.

Dr Brander explained "even if it's your own child in trouble in the water, I cannot emphasise enough how important it is not to rush in. That person may not really know what's going on, they may not even be panicking - but you might be."

Advising that the instinct to sprint to the water and then swim as fast as you can to reach the person in trouble can tire and exhaust the helper, Dr Brander added “you need to take some time - even just 10 seconds and think about what to do. You need to call for help, or get someone to go get help. There might be a lifeguard or surf lifesaver further down the beach, maybe there's some surfers around, but get somebody to get help.

"And if you are going to go in the water, grab something that floats. Look around the beach, maybe there's a boogie board lying around or a surfboard or ball, something that you can take with you - this will make a big difference to your chances of getting out of the rip."

Education is key
Although the numbers of drowning deaths each year in Australia is a stark reminder that our cultural passion for coastal recreation brings with it inherent danger, the rate of drowning in Australia is quite low when compared to other countries.

Kelly stated "Australians are reasonably proficient in aquatic education, and our beachgoers are extremely fortunate that a national network of lifesaving personnel actively patrol many of our beaches. That's two big reasons why we actually have a very low drowning rate compared to other countries.”

However, one drowning death is one too many and Kelly is concerned that more needs to be done in messaging around beach safety, especially around the danger of rips.

He added "we need to continue to push for swimming proficiency among school kids, especially among seven- to 12-year-olds who may have missed multiple years of swimming lessons during the pandemic, with a focus on surf safety skills.

"Also, in a multicultural country like Australia, we have many adults who may have grown up in parts of the world without a beach culture, so it's important now more than ever to get these messages and provide more opportunities to learn about beach safety out to multicultural communities."

Co-author Jaz Lawes, who is a researcher with UNSW's Beach Safety Research Group and with Surf Life Saving Australia says with school holidays coming up and the water still warm enough to swim in, there needs to renewed focus on evaluating what types of messaging and education initiatives work and resonate with high-risk populations.

Laws went on to say "the link between rip current drowning and unpatrolled beaches is widely recognised, and with only 6% of Australia's 11,000+ beaches patrolled in the height of summer, make sure you make rip current and beach safety a priority if you are heading to the beach this Easter and school holidays.”

Images: Rip currents, credit: Shutterstock.