Australian surf lifesavers: If we can’t see you, we can’t save you

 

Always swim between the red and yellow flags – that’s the message of Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) – because if the lifesavers can’t see you, they can’t save you.

Australia has six states and two territories – only the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) is landlocked. The rest have a coastline with magnificent beaches. In fact, there are 11,876 beaches in Australia.

The Surf Life Saving Australia has 310 local surf lifesaving clubs, which means that much of the coastline is not monitored by surf lifesavers. However, most popular swimming and surfing beaches are patrolled by official and volunteer lifesavers. The SLSA has over 700 paid lifeguards across Australia – one of the largest memberships in the world. However, the SLSA also has the largest volunteer movement in Australia, with most beaches patrolled by volunteers.

In 2010-2011 SLSA had 158,806 members, of which 43.7% were female (a 3% increase on the previous year). Of these members 44,323 (28%) patrolled the beaches. During last summer (2010-2011), 61 people drowned on the beaches of Australia (27 less than the previous year) out of 12,042 rescues - that’s only 0.5% of all people rescued.

This summer, from July 2011 to June 2012, lifesavers across Australia performed 28,158 first aid treatments (such as cuts, stings and bites, bruises, sprains, and bone fractures); 12,768 rescues (saving people from distress and drowning in the surf) and gave advice to more than 600,000 beach-goers.

This summer, in New South Wales alone, 33 people drowned – 8 of them at beaches near Sydney. (There were 46 drownings in the summer of 2008-2009; 39 drownings in 2009-2010; and 22 drownings in 2010-2011).

Drowning incidents are mainly due to people fishing from rocks (slipping and entering the water), upturned boats, and being caught in unsafe water (rips and undertows). People who cannot swim, and those who are unfamiliar with Australian ocean currents and heavy surf, are those who are most susceptible to drowning – foreign tourists are particularly at risk.

Ocean water is regarded as “safe water” between the distinctive and iconic red and yellow flags. It’s considered safe because the area is monitored by surf lifesavers, but only during September to the end of April. Volunteer lifesavers will still be on emergency call during winter months and paid lifeguards will still patrol some of the most popular beaches. However, accidents and drowning do happen in safe areas – but they occur significantly more often in areas outside the red and yellow flags. The message from SLSA is to swim between the red and yellow flags.

Lifeguards will commence patrolling the beaches again from September 22, 2012.

(http://sls.com.au)

MARTINA NICOLLSis an international aid and development consultant, and the authorof:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom(2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).