FEATURE: WATER SAFETY TIPS WATER SAFETY SURF LIFE SAVING AUSTRALIA KNOW YOUR LIMITS ANY DAY AT THE COAST SHOULD BE WELL PLANNED AS fatalities as another significant CONDITIONS CAN RAPIDLY CHANGE WITHOUT WARNING. issue. A bystander rescue is when a member(s) of the public witness FOLLOW THESE BASIC TIPS TO ENSURE YOUR SAFETY someone in trouble and offer assistance, often as an impulsive act without full AND THE SAFETY OF OTHERS, AND READ ABOUT SURF assessment of the situation and hazards. LIFE SAVING AUSTRALIA’S RECOMMENDATIONS FOR If you ever witness someone needing assistance, don’t put yourself in danger SOME COMMON COASTAL ACTIVITIES too. Call 000. Look for a lifesaver or lifeguard. Never enter water without The beach is a popular playground as a result. Learning how to identify, a floatation device. for many Australians and its avoid and escape a rip (opposite page) estimated that there is at least is a skill that could save your life. Monitoring tides, weather and 300 million beach visitations ocean conditions is essential when annually. Surf Life Saving Australia Boating, rock fishing, surfing and undertaking any coastal activity. (SLSA) and a few other lifeguard watercraft are also hazardous activities, Using apps, such as BeachSafe and services patrol only 4% of the coastline, totalling 534 fatalities across these BoM Weather, make it easy to check making beachgoer education a priority. activities between 2004-18. Snorkelling conditions before and during the day. and scuba diving have become more Ocean and coastal conditions can Rip currents are the number one hazard prominent in the past five years, change rapidly, so keeping informed on the Australian coast, and there are contributing a further 153 fatalities can prevent an accident or even injury. at least 17,000 rips on our beaches on for the same period. Understanding any given day. A rip current is a narrow your limits and taking necessary Taking personal responsibility for seaward flowing current of water safety precautions can help prevent your safety is important. Always tell moving through the surf zone. Four- a dangerous situation. someone your plans, never go in the million Australian adults say they have water alone, assess local hazards and been caught in a rip unintentionally, and In recent years SLSA, in partnership with call 000 in an emergency. SLSA urges sadly, hundreds more have drowned UNSW, has identified bystander rescue all people to follow basic safety when participating in any coastal activity and to use the right equipment every time. Surf Life Saving Australia is the peak coastal water safety, drowning prevention and rescue authority in Australia. The organisation monitors, researches and reports on coastal activities and hazards each year to help promote safe recreating when in, on and around water. For more information go to beachsafe.org.au or sls.com.au 18 VOLUME 36 • ISSUE 3 2018 ailartsuA gnivasefiL fruS :egamI