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Twenty Australians die each year from being caught in rips.
The best way to survive a rip is to avoid it and these lives could have been saved if swimmers had learnt how to spot a rip current.
“Twenty lives is too many and this summer Surf Life Saving wants to increase rip current awareness throughout the community, especially within the target at-risk demographic of 18-34 year old males who are currently over represented in drowning statistics,” said Surf Life Saving WA Community Safety Manager, Chris Peck.
A rip current, often referred to as a rip, is a moving current of water, sometimes strong or fast flowing. It will usually start near the shoreline and flow away from the beach.
“Being able to identify a rip current and survive when caught in one is critical to reducing fatalities on Australian beaches, tragically rips result in the drowning deaths of on average 20 Australians each year and we are working hard to significantly reduce these figures,” said Mr. Peck.
Surf Life Saving’s on-going focus on rip current education and preventing coastal drowning deaths has lead to the development of a range of public education teaching aids.
“Volunteer surf lifesavers will be hitting up some of WA’s most populated beaches over the coming weekends to conduct short, on beach, rip current education sessions to the public,” said Mr. Peck.
From 2004-2010, 118 people were confirmed drowned as a result of being caught in a rip current while swimming at Australian beaches and Surf Life Saving statistics show that rips are attributed to approximately 80 per cent of all rescues performed and half of all coastal drownings annually.
“Surf Life Saving’s key safety message remains ‘always swim between the red and yellow flags, because if we can’t see you we can’t save you.’ Additionally the following rip current survival chain is being promoted as a way to educate all Australians on how to be safe and avoid getting into trouble at the beach,” said Mr. Peck.
You can survive a rip current, by knowing your options:
To avoid rip currents, always swim between the red and yellow flags.
For assistance stay calm, float and raise an arm to attract the lifeguard’s attention.
To escape a rip current, swim parallel to the beach.
Conserve your energy; waves can assist you back to the beach.
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