NATIONAL COASTAL SAFETY REPORT 2019 - Surf …...Membership across 314 clubs is almost fifty per cent female, with volunteer surf lifesavers performing more than 10,176 rescues each

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N AT I O N A L C OA S TA L S A F E T Y R E P O R T 2019S U R F L I F E S AV I N G A U S T R A L I A

D R O W N I N GS N A P S H O T

COASTAL &OCEAN

DROWNINGDEATHS

MALE

FEMALE

23

4413

115

233

35%SWIMMING

14%BOATING &

PWC

7%SNORKELLING

AT LEAST 5KM FROM ALIFESAVING SERVICE

AT THE BEACH ROCK/CLIFF

Location

Activity

OFFSHORE

8%WATERCRAFT

C O N T E N T S

S E C T I O N O N E : C O M M U N I T Y 06 34A U S T R A L I A N P O P U L AT I O N 0 8

C OA S TA L PA R T I C I PAT I O N 0 9

AC T I V I T Y PA R T I C I PAT I O N 10

S W I M M I N G A B I L I T Y 14

R I S K PE R C E P T I O N 15

C OA S TA L S A F E T Y 16

S A F E T Y PR AC T I C E S 17

F E AT U R E : YO U N G M A L E S 18

F E AT U R E : BY S TA N D E R R E S C U E S

I N A U S T R A L I A 2 0

S E C T I O N T H R E E : D R OW N I N G A N A LYS I S

G LO S S A RY 64

R E F E R E N C E 66

N AT I O N A L OV E R V I E W 3 6

D R O W N I N G LO C AT I O N S 4 2

D R O W N I N G V S FATA L I T Y 4 4

N E W S O U T H WA L E S 5 0

Q U E E N S L A N D 52

V I C TO R I A 5 4

W E S T E R N A U S T R A L I A 5 6

S O U T H A U S T R A L I A 5 8

TA S M A N I A 6 0

N O R T H E R N T E R R I TO RY 62

22C A PA B I L I T Y 2 4

S U R F L I F E S AV I N G S E R V I C E S 26

M E M B E R S H I P C A PAC I T Y 27

A S S E T C A PA B I L I T Y 2 8

R E S C U E S 2 9

PR E V E N TAT I V E AC T I O N S 3 0

F I R S T A I D 31

F E AT U R E : T H E F R E A K WAV E M Y T H 32

S E C T I O N T WO : C A PA B I L I T Y

I N T R O D U C T I O N 0 4

I N T R O D U C T I O N

Australian beaches have long occupied a special place

in Australian culture, with eighty-five per cent of the

population living within 50km of the coast and more than

300 million visitations to the coast in the last year. The Australian

coastline is where three of the world’s great oceans meet – the

Pacific, Indian and Southern oceans – each providing a diversity

of conditions and experiences to Australians and its visitors. The

beach is a place of significance where people from all over the

world can meet, live and come together.

Our interactions with the Australian coastline represent a legacy

that is recognised nationally and internationally with Australians

renowned for their affinity with the coast. Most visits to the coast

are ones of delight and fun, yet over the years too many have

been peppered with disaster and tragedy.

Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) is one of the nation’s most

respected organisations and the peak body for coastal water

safety and drowning prevention. We are Australia’s largest

volunteer organisation, with 176,000 members drawn from all

age groups and demographics. Membership across 314 clubs is

almost fifty per cent female, with volunteer surf lifesavers

performing more than 10,176 rescues each year and over 1.3

million volunteer hours on patrol. In addition, they attend to

89,695 emergency care treatments and perform more than 1.5

million preventative actions. With research showing that for

every dollar invested or donated to Surf Life Saving there is

twenty-nine dollars of value returned to the community it is

undeniable the Surf Life Saving’s dividend to the nation is

immense - and growing.

The National Coastal Safety Report 2019 is a comprehensive

summary and analysis of our research and presents evidence

relating to community perceptions, delivery of core lifesaving

services, coastal drowning deaths and other fatal coastal

incidents. The report continues to focus on coastal drowning

deaths, however, the National Coastal Safety Report 2019 delves

further into other coastal-related deaths, presenting a

fifteen-year overview and laying the foundations for future

research to encompass all coastal-related fatalities.

The 2018-19 period resulted in 190 recorded coastal fatalities.

This includes 122 coastal drowning deaths, the third highest

recorded in the past fifteen years. Of all 190 coastal fatalities,

drowning was recorded as the causal factor in sixty-five per cent

of incidents. For the 2018-19 period the majority of coastal and

ocean drowning deaths occurred while swimming (35%), boating

and PWC (14%) or using watercraft (8%). Swimming, watercraft,

attempting a rescue, falls and snorkelling drowning deaths all

being above the fifteen-year average. Males continue to be

over-represented in coastal drowning deaths (87%), with young

males aged 16-39 identified at a greater risk and are twice as

likely to drown than other adults. On average forty young males

drown each year (2004-19).

For other unintentional coastal fatalities boating, swimming

and watercraft are the three highest activities undertaken at

the time of the fatality over the fifteen-year period, similar to

that of coastal drowning deaths. The 2018-19 period saw

swimming, scuba diving and snorkelling deaths above the

fifteen-year average.

Bystander rescues involve members of the public going to the

aid of those in distress, with these actions increasingly

recognised for the significant role in saving lives. Without these

invaluable actions there is no doubt many other lives would have

been lost. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for the rescuer to

become the victim, with fatal bystander rescues on Australian

beaches between 2004-17 representing four per cent of all

coastal drowning deaths.

Rock fishing has recorded the third highest number of

coastal drowning deaths over the fifteen-year period. Media

has often attributed these to unexpected large swell or ‘freak

waves’. Research has found that the ‘freak wave’ concept is a

myth and that understanding the wave period is vital. More

experienced fishers have a better understanding of wave

period, which enables them to better manage associated risks,

and are encouraged to share their knowledge with less

experienced fishers.

The National Coastal Safety Report 2019 presents evidence-

based insights into factors relating to drowning deaths and other

fatalities, in addition to participation. This information is

invaluable for understanding circumstances around incidents

and assisting with the development of education and awareness

programs, initiatives and actions to reduce fatalities in the future.

I have the pleasure of commending this comprehensive report

to you and encourage all to support SLSA in its objectives of

reducing injury and the loss of life along our coastline. As has

been stated in the past, the numbers and statistics represented

are much more than this – they represent the loss of life of many

individuals. The loss of 190 lives is not tolerable, nor is the loss of

one life, our vision is zero preventable deaths in Australian waters.

Adam Weir

Chief Executive Officer

Surf Life Saving Australia

SURF LIFE SAVING AUS TR ALIA NATIONAL COA S TAL SAFET Y REPORT 201904

T O T A L S E R V I C E P L A N

The Total Service Plan is SLSA’s national drowning

reduction strategy and service plan. It is created using

an iterative process of analysis and review to identify

coastal safety issues of national importance. This approach

follows the public health model and is consistent with

international risk management principles.

In collaboration with stakeholders, SLSA identifies

coastal safety risks using incident monitoring,

coastal risk assessments and participation analysis.

This information is analysed to identify the top

national coastal safety issues, priorities and

blackspot areas that require intervention or

mitigation strategies.

THE NATIONAL SAFETY AGENDA

The issues and blackspots identified

through the Total Service Plan

process form the basis of SLSA’s

National Safety Agenda. The agenda

influences lifesaving operations,

including services and equipment allocation.

It drives public education, including evidence-based

mitigation strategies, communications campaigns

and pilot projects, and informs SLSA’s research plan.

The Total Service Plan takes a risk management

approach. It allows SLSA to use the evidence to ensure we

locate lifesaving services and assets in areas of need and have

appropriate public education programs and mitigation strategies

to address the coastal safety issues and known blackspots.

Embedded in the process is continual monitoring and evaluation

to ensure the treatments and interventions are effective in

reducing drowning deaths along the Australian coast.

The coastal safety needs of the Australian community

reflected in the National Safety Agenda and the Surf Life Saving

movement’s capacity and capability to meet these needs

are explored in the ‘Capability’ section of this report.

Figure 1

TOTAL SERVICE PLAN PROCESS OVERVIEW

The Total Service Plan aligns with the International

Standard ISO 31000:2018 framework, which provides

principles and guidelines for risk management.

ContextDrowning Statistics

Non-fatal Drowning DataOperational Statistics

Market ResearchPopulation Data

Participation/Behaviour Data

Communication and Consultation

Market ResearchStakeholder Consultation

Councils, Committees and Groups

Conferences and Forums

Monitoring and Evaluation

Monitor TrendsMonitor and Evaluate Service/

Asset DeploymentEvaluate Pilot Programs

Evaluate Research

Incident Tracking Capability Statement

Participation/Behaviour Analysis

National Risk RegisterCoastal Risk Assessments

Risk Identification

Coastal Safety BriefsTrend Identification

GIS Analysis

Critical Incident AnalysisTarget Identification

Case Studies

Analysis

Evaluation

Treatment/InterventionLifesaving and Support Services

Blackspot Reduction ProgramBeach Safety Equipment Fund

Communication CampaignsPublic Education and Training

Early Warning Systems

Coastal Safety Hub Risk Assessment

National Coastal Safety Report

Strategic Research Agenda

National Safety AgendaNational Coastal

Safety IssuesBlackspot Identification

NATIONAL SAFETY AGENDA ISSUES

RIP CURRENTS

1.

OVER 55 YEARS

55+8.

WATERCRAFT

4.

ROCK FISHING

3.

SNORKELLING & SCUBA DIVING

7.

BOATING

2.

INTERNATIONAL TOURISTS

6.

TOXICITY & HEALTH

5.

DANGEROUS MARINE

CREATURES

9.

NEW MIGRANTS

10.

05 SURF LIFE SAVING AUS TR ALIA INTRODUCTION

C O M M U N I T YS E C T I O N O N E

Australian adultsvisited the coast

in 2018/19

14.7MCoastal activity

participants

11.1MSwimming/Wading

participants

9.3M


A U S T R A L I A N P O P U L A T I O N

Figure 2

AUSTRALIAN POPULATION DENSITY PER LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA (LGA)

This map shows the estimated Australian population density per LGA at June 2019. Most LGAs with a population density higher than 100 persons per square kilometre are located on Australia’s coastal fringe.

1,000km

SCALE

0

Brisbane

SydneyCanberra

Hobart

Melbourne

Adelaide

Darwin

Perth

0.1–1 persons per km2

< 0.1 persons per km2

1–10 persons per km2

10–100 persons per km2

> 100 persons per km2

Key to Population Density per LGA

08

C O A S T A L P A R T I C I P A T I O N

Surfing1.4 million surfers

0.8 million frequent surfers (at least once a month)

6 surfing hours per occasional surfer per year

150 surfing hours per frequent surfer per year

Land-based Fishing2.9 million fishers

0.9 million frequent fishers (at least once a month)

11 fishing hours per occasional fisher per year

125 fishing hours per frequent fisher per year

Snorkelling 1.7 million snorkellers

0.4 million frequent snorkellers (at least once a month)

3 snorkelling hours per occasional snorkeller per year

170 snorkelling hours per frequent snorkeller per year

Swimming9.3 million swimmers

3.3 million frequent swimmers (at least once a month)

4 swimming hours per occasional swimmer per year

90 swimming hours per frequent swimmer per year

Boating2.7 million boaters

0.7 million frequent boaters (at least once a month)

10 boating hours per occasional boater per year

150 boating hours per frequent boater per year

Watercraft1.1 million watercraft users

0.4 million frequent watercraft users (at least once a month)

5 watercraft hours per occasional watercraft user per year

140 watercraft hours per frequent watercraft user per year

Rock Fishing1.1 million rock fishers

0.5 million frequent rock fishers (at least once a month)

10 fishing hours per occasional rock fisher per year

190 fishing hours per frequent rock fisher per year

Figure 3

2019: COASTAL VISITATION BY ACTIVITY

Questions: Which of the following coastal activities have you participated in during the past 12 months? How often do you participate in these activities?

FREQUENT VS OCCASIONAL PARTICIPATION

Annually, there are at least 11.1 million coastal activity participants. On average Australians visit the coast 3.4 times per month.

Scuba Diving0.6 million scuba divers

0.2 million frequent scuba divers (at least once a month)

5 diving hours per occasional diver per year

110 diving hours per frequent diver per year

Personal Water Craft (PWC)0.6 million PWC users

0.2 million frequent PWC users (at least once a month)

4 PWC hours per occasional PWC user per year

30 PWC hours per frequent PWC user per year

09 SECTION ONE COMMUNIT Y

Swimming/Wading

Land-basedFishing

Boating

Snorkelling

Surfing

Watercraft

RockFishing

PWC

ScubaDiving

Total: 50%

Total: 15%

Total: 14%

Total: 9%

Total: 7%

Total: 6%

Total: 6%

Total: 3%

Total: 3%

Less often3-11 times per year1-3 times per month1-4 times per week5+ times per week

2019: SWIMMING/WADING 2019: FISHING

Figure 4

2019: SWIMMING/WADING PARTICIPATION BY GENDER

Figure 5

2019: SWIMMING/WADING PARTICIPATION BY STATE

Figure 6

2019: FISHING PARTICIPATION BY TYPE AND GENDER

Figure 7

2019: FISHING PARTICIPATION BY TYPE AND STATE

A C T I V I T Y P A R T I C I P A T I O NC O A S TA L A C T I V I T Y PA R T I C I PA N T S : D E M O G R A P H I C & L O C AT I O N S E L E C T I O N

FISHERS WHO USE A LIFEJACKET OR BUOYANCY AID

36%


Swimming/Wading

9.3M51% 49%

MaleFemale

TAS 36%

QLD 56%

NSW 53%

WA 49%

NT 48%

SA 44%

VIC 45%

29% 71%

2.9M Land-based

&

1.1M Rock

60%40%

MaleFemale

NT

WA

QLD

NSW

SA

TAS

VIC 10%

23%

21%

18%

16%

15%

15%

18%

9%

6%

6%

10%

3%

5%

Rock Fishing Land-based Fishing

HOW SWIMMERS SELECT LOCATION

68% 63%

Land-based

Rock

LAND-BASED FISHERS ROCK FISHERS

50% 66% 43%PATROLLED LOCATION

SEA/SURF CONDITIONSWEATHER CONDITIONS

SAFETY

2019: BOATING & PWC

Figure 8

2019: BOATING AND PWC PARTICIPATION BY GENDER

Figure 9

2019: BOATING AND PWC PARTICIPATION BY STATE

SWIMMING ABILITY OF FREQUENT PARTICIPANTS


NT

TAS

NSW

QLD

WA

SA

VIC2%

0%

1%

5%

5%

1%

4%

22%

18%

18%

15%

14%

14%

9%

BoatingPWC

Figure 10

2019: SNORKELLING AND SCUBA DIVING PARTICIPATION BY GENDER

Figure 11

2019: SCUBA DIVING AND SNORKELLING PARTICIPATION BY STATE

2019: SNORKELLING & SCUBA DIVING

35%SNORKELLERS

78%SCUBA DIVERS

LIFEJACKET OR BUOYANCY AID USE BY PARTICIPANTS

NT

WA

SA

NSW

VIC

QLD

TAS1%

2%

4%

1%

4%

2%

4%

20%

10%

10%

10%

9%

8%

4%

Scuba Diving Snorkelling

48% 52%

MaleFemale

Boating &

2.7M

PWC0.6M

54% 46%

Boating

PWC

54%46%

MaleFemale

1.7M Snorkelling

&

0.6M Scuba Diving

62%38%

ScubaDiving

23% PWC USERS IDENTIFY AS WEAK SWIMMERS OR CAN’T SWIM

BOATERS IDENTIFY AS WEAK SWIMMERS OR CAN’T SWIM9%

Snorkelling

2019: SURFING

Figure 12

2019: SURFING PARTICIPATION BY GENDER

Figure 13

2019: SURFING PARTICIPATION BY STATE

A C T I V I T Y P A R T I C I P A T I O NC O A S TA L A C T I V I T Y PA R T I C I PA N T S : D E M O G R A P H I C & L O C AT I O N S E L E C T I O N

14% HELMET

17% SHARK DETERRENT DEVICE

SAFETY EQUIPMENT USED BY SURFERS


32% 68%

Surfing1.4M

MaleFemale

NT 2%

NSW 10%

SA 9%

QLD 7%

WA 5%

VIC 5%

TAS 4%

2019: WATERCRAFT

Figure 15

2019: WATERCRAFT PARTICIPATION BY STATE

Figure 14

2019: WATERCRAFT PARTICIPATION BY GENDER

POPULAR LOCATIONS FOR WATERCRAFT ACTIVITIES

34% 22%

Watercraft1.1M

50% 50%

MaleFemale

SA 4%

QLD 7%

NSW 7%

NT 6%

VIC 6%

WA 5%

TAS 5%

BAY OR HARBOUR

ESTUARY OR MANGROVE

A C T I V I T Y P A R T I C I P A T I O NPA R T I C I PAT I O N F R E Q U E N C Y A N D E X P E R T I S E

Figure 16

2019: PARTICIPANTS (MILLIONS) IN COASTAL ACTIVITIES


OccasionalFrequent

PWCScuba DivingRock FishingSurfingWatercraftSnorkellingLand-based Fishing

BoatingSwimming/Wading

6.0

3.3

0.40.2

0.40.2

0.60.5

0.60.80.7

0.4

1.3

0.4

2.0

0.9

2.0

0.7

Mill

ion

sH

ours

sp

ent a

t coa

st a

nn

ually

20

>50km

40

25-50km

60

10-25km

180

<10km Less than 2 hoursTwo hours or more

55%

80%85%

72%

14%13%

23%

41%

<10km10-25km

25-50km

>50km

Figure 17

2019: AVERAGE HOURS SPENT AT THE COAST BY DISTANCE OF RESIDENCE FROM THE COAST PER PERSON ANNUALLY

Figure 18

2019: HOURS SPENT AT THE COAST PER VISIT BY DISTANCE OF RESIDENCE FROM THE COAST

Where data does not total 100%, respondents answered ‘Can’t say’.

S W I M M I N G A B I L I T YC O N F I D E N C E I N C O A S TA L E N V I R O N M E N T S

Figure 19

2019: LEVEL OF EXPERTISE FOR SWIMMING AND WADING PARTICIPANTS

Figure 21

2019: PORTION OF PARTICIPANTS THAT CAN SWIM 50M IN THE OCEAN WITHOUT TOUCHING THE BOTTOM BY ACTIVITY


60%

17%

22% 2%

Can’t say

AdvancedIntermediateBeginner

Swim at anintermediate

level

60%

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Swimming/Wading

Land-based Fishing

BoatingPWCRock FishingWatercraftSnorkellingScuba DivingSurfing

46%

58%

65% 64%67% 66%

53%

60%

79%

can we extend axis to 100%

Figure 20

2019: ABILITY TO SWIM 50M BY REPORTED LEVEL OF EXPERTISE IN THE OCEAN COMPARED TO OVERALL

38%

59%

7%

2%

29%

63%

Can’t say

AdvancedIntermediateBeginner

Swim 50M at intermediate

level

59%

Ocean

Overall

OF SWIMMERS CANNOT SWIM 50M IN THE OCEAN WITHOUT TOUCHING THE BOTTOM46%

R I S K P E R C E P T I O NP E R C E P T I O N S O F T H E C O A S T A N D C O A S TA L A C T I V I T I E S

Figure 22

2019: THINGS THAT COME TO MIND WHEN THINKING OF THE COAST

15

SharksCliff, rocks

Relax, relaxation,

lifestyle

Fish, fishing

Swim, swimming

Surf, surfing

Sun, sunshine

WaterSand, sandy

Beach

49%

21%

13%9% 8% 7% 7% 6%

1% 1%

HAZARDS ARE LARGELY IGNORED WHEN THINKING OF THE COAST. THIS SUGGESTS VISITORS ARE UNPREPARED WHEN CONFRONTED WITH THESE HAZARDS AT THE COAST

Figure 23

2019: COASTAL FEATURES RATED AS EXTREMELY OR VERY HAZARDOUS BY ALL ADULTS

Rip currents

Tropical marinestingers

Sun exposure

Sharks

Crocodiles

Other marinestingers

Rocks / Rockyplatforms

Waves 39%

80%

69%

65%

62%

62%

60%

59%

SECTION ONE COMMUNIT Y

WHEN THINKING OF THE COAST NEITHER LIFE SAVING SERVICES NOR PATROL FLAGS CAME TO MIND

C O A S T A L S A F E T YP E R C E P T I O N S O F T H E C O A S T A N D C O A S TA L A C T I V I T I E S

Figure 24

2019: HOW SAFE DO AUSTRALIAN ADULTS THINK COASTAL ACTIVITIES ARE

Where data does not total 100%, respondents answered ‘Can’t say’.

Figure 25

2019: PERCEIVED CONFIDENCE TO IDENTIFY A RIP CURRENT BY SWIMMING ABILITY BROKEN DOWN BY ACTUAL ABILITY TO IDENTIFY A RIP CURRENTWhere data does not total 100%, respondents answered ‘Can’t say’.

16

Rock FishingPWCScuba DivingSurfingWatercraftSnorkellingBoatingSwimming Land-based Fishing

Wading

7%

25%

63%

10%

40%

43%

10%

46%

37%

10%

49%

36%

11%

51%

31%

14%

51%

28%

18%

54%

22%

20%

56%

19%

39%

45%

10%

40%

44%

10%

Not very or not at all safe Somewhat safe Extremely or very safe

Highly competent

swimmer

Competent swimmer

Average swimmer

Weak swimmerUnable to swim

0

20

40

60

80

100

Could not identify a ripCorrectly identified one rip pictureCorrectly identified multiple rip pictures

Not confident

Confident


82% OF HIGHLY COMPETENT OCEAN SWIMMERS FELT CONFIDENT TO IDENTIFY A RIP BUT ONLY

27% COULD DO SO ACCURATELY

SurfingRock Fishing

Land-based Fishing

Scuba Diving

SnorkellingSwimming / Wading

WatercraftPWCBoating

86 8783

78

68727376

71

4146 47

565654525048

Safety Index Rating - likelihood to follow safety practices when participating in the activity % participants who believe they are experienced enough to take a few risks

S A F E T Y P R A C T I C E SS A F E T Y M E A S U R E S I N C O A S TA L E N V I R O N M E N T S

Figure 26

2019: USUAL SWIMMING LOCATION BY DISTANCE OF RESIDENCE FROM THE COAST

Figure 27

2019: LIKELIHOOD OF COASTAL ACTIVITY PARTICIPANTS TO FOLLOW SAFETY PRACTICES COMPARED TO THEIR PERCEPTION THAT THEY ARE EXPERIENCED ENOUGH TO TAKE A FEW RISKSA safety index rating from 0 - 100 was created to demonstrate how likely coastal activity participants are to follow safety practices. For example, on average boaters follow safety practices 86% of the time.

17

> 50km

26 to 50km

10 to 25 km

< 10km37%

20%

24%

47%

15%

25%

49%

16%

28%

45%

24%

29%

Patrolled beach during patrol hours only Patrolled beach, but not always during patrolled hours Unpatrolled beach

SECTION ONE COMMUNIT Y

THOSE WHO LIVE LESS THAN 10KM FROM THE BEACH WERE MORE LIKELY TO SWIM OUTSIDE OF PATROL TIMES OR AT UNPATROLLED BEACHES

F E A T U R E : Y O U N G M A L E SM E N A G E D 16 - 3 9

Young males are a significant demographic as they are

continually over-represented in coastal drowning data.

Since 2004, men aged between 16-39 account for 36%

of all drowning deaths and 33% of other coastal fatalities. In

2018-19, 44 drowning deaths were young males aged between

16-19, above the 15 year average of 40. The average drowning

death rate for young men is double that for other adults within

the population (2.05:1), meaning young men are twice as likely to

drown than the rest of Australian adults.

Young men often participate in coastal activities more than

the average Australian adult and often exhibit over-confidence

in their abilities. For drowning deaths involving young males

aged 16-39, 58% had little to no experience in the activity

they were participating at the time of death (Figure 28).

This confidence is also evident in their reported risk taking

behaviours, with consistently more young males considering

themselves experienced enough to take risks during activities

when compared to the total adult population (Figure 29). This

risk taking tendency may escalate further under the influence of

alcohol and drugs. For example, two-thirds of young males had

consumed alcohol when they drowned (Figure 30).

These results show that the adventurous and confident side to

young males puts them at greater risk than other demographics

and should be considered when trying to understand the impact

of drowning and other fatalities on our communities.


64%OF YOUNG MALES HAD CONSUMED ALCOHOL WHEN THEY DROWNED

Figure 28

2004-19: EXPERIENCE IN ACTIVITY FOR DROWNINGDEATHS YOUNG MALES COMPARED TO OTHER ADULTS

Highly Experienced

Not Experienced or No Experience

Experienced

36%32%

51%58%

13%

10%

Young males had no experience

in drowning activity

58%

Young Males

Other Adults

BoatingPWCWatercraftSwimming/Wading

SnorkellingScuba DivingLand-based Fishing

Rock FishingSurfing

Young male population (16-39 years old)

Total Australian adult population

69%

56% 56%

66%

54%

67%

52%

71%

50%

64%

48%

64%

47%

55%

46%49%

41%

52%

Figure 29

YOUNG MALES COMPARED TO THE ADULT POPULATION WHO CONSIDER THEMSELVES TO BE EXPERIENCED ENOUGH TO TAKE RISKS DURING AN ACTIVITYYoung males are consistently more confident to take risks compared to the total adult population.

F E A T U R E : Y O U N G M A L E SM E N A G E D 16 - 3 9

Figure 31

2004–19: 15-YEAR TREND OF YOUNG MALES DROWNING DEATHS


Figure 30

2004-19: ALCOHOL AND DRUGS CONTRIBUTED TO 23% OF YOUNG MALE DROWNING DEATHS (n=135). OF THESE CASES, 39% HAD CONSUMED ALCOHOL ONLY (n=52), 36% HAD TAKEN DRUGS ONLY (n=49), WHILE 25% HAD BOTH ALCOHOL AND DRUGS IN THEIR SYSTEM (n=34)

Alcohol and Drugs

Drugs only

Alcohol only

25%

39%

36%

Alcohol 64%

40YOUNG MALES: 15 YEAR

DROWNING AVERAGE

44YOUNG MALES: 2018-19

DROWNING DEATHS

2.05:1YOUNG MALES TO OTHER ADULTS

RATE OF DROWNING DEATHS

2.71:1RATIO YOUNG MALES:OTHER ADULTS

AMPHETAMINE USE

ALCOHOL USE

CANNABIS USE

2.08:1 RATIO YOUNG MALES:OTHER ADULTS

THE AVERAGE BLOOD ALCOHOL CONTENT WAS 0.16, MORE THAN TRIPLE THE LEGAL LIMIT

2009-102004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19

Young male drowning deaths per 100,000 pop.

37 37

4240

42

36

48

4345

31

34

49

33

44

32


Water safety and drowning prevention is a complex

public health challenge especially given that many

drowning incidents occur away from lifeguard or

lifesaver services. In these situations, the only available help is

often in the form of bystander rescuers. The term ‘bystander’

describes any member of the public, be it family, friend or

stranger, who attempts to rescue someone in distress. However,

bystander rescuers may lack experience, thereby placing

both themselves and the rescuee at risk and tragically it is not

uncommon for bystander rescuers to drown. Nevertheless,

bystander rescues are increasingly recognised for the significant

role they play in saving lives and the World Health Organisation

has identified “train bystanders in safe rescue and resuscitation”

as the fourth-most important action to reduce the global rates

of drowning.

Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) report 53 coastal drowning

deaths of bystander rescuers on Australian beaches between

2004-2017, representing four percent of all coastal drowning

deaths. Additionally, thirteen percent of Australians aged 16-69

have reported conducting a bystander rescue. SLSA with the

University of NSW, Sydney and James Cook University recently

investigated the characteristics of bystander rescues in Australia1.

The main aims of this study were to determine the importance

of prior water safety training in bystander rescues and to guide

future public education strategies.

The Citizen Lifesaver Survey was completed by 243 people,

approximately half of whom had received prior water-safety

training, and found that bystander rescues were different

depending on aquatic environment. Most occurred at beach

locations more than 1km away from lifesaving services.

Comparatively, males performed more bystander rescues

in natural waterways (coastal and inland) than females, who

conducted more rescues in swimming pools. Most male

bystander rescuers had some level of water safety training

compared to females.

Results of the study highlight the valuable role that off-duty

lifesavers and lifeguards play in drowning prevention, as

bystanders with water safety training made three times more

rescues than those without training. Most bystanders did not use

a flotation device, but those with training were more likely to use

one during a rescue. None of the 53 bystander coastal drowning

deaths reported the use of a flotation device, indicating that more

training and better communication regarding the usefulness

of flotation devices are potentially important messages to help

reduce numbers of drowning deaths.

F E A T U R E : B Y S T A N D E R R E S C U E S I N A U S T R A L I A

Footnote: 1Citation: Brander RW, Warton N, Franklin RC, Shaw WS, Rijksen EJT, Daw S (2019) Characteristics of aquatic rescues undertaken by bystanders in Australia. PLoS ONE 14(2): e0212349. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0212349

YesNo

72%

28%

54%

46%

Previoustraining

Male

Female

36% BYSTANDER RESCUES WERE CONDUCTED AT BEACHES

PREVIOUS WATER SAFETY TRAINING

CONFIDENT IN ABILITY TO MAKE RESCUE

OF BYSTANDER RESCUERS RATE THEMSELVES AS A STRONG SWIMMER

NO FLOTATION DEVICE USED

OF AUSTRALIANS AGES 16 - 69 HAVE REPORTED CONDUCTING A BYSTANDER RESCUE

13%

FEMALE

MALE

36%

B Y S T A N D E R R E S C U E S S N A P S H O T

C A P A B I L I T YS E C T I O N T W O

PROFICIENT MEMBERS

50,53410,176RESCUES

UAVs

1,094 314 103 IRBs Clubs

VOLUNTEER PATROL HOURS

1,379,056

C A P A B I L I T Y

Surf Life Saving (SLS) has significant capability to provide

coastal surveillance patrols and aquatic search and rescue

(SAR) operations, working in close partnership with police

and other emergency services.

These services are expertly delivered and managed by the

40,959 Bronze Medallion holders and 9,575 Surf Rescue

Certificate holders (totalling 50,534 proficient surf lifesavers)

through the 314 Surf Life Saving Clubs. This is alongside over

1,000 full time, seasonal and casual lifeguards. Surf lifesavers and

lifeguards receive specialised training to industry best-practice

standards under the Australian Qualifications Framework

ensuring the community receives consistent service of the

highest quality across the nation.

Radio communications provide support to all services via SLS

coastal radio networks or government radio networks, which are

connected to SLS communication and operation centres. These

centres provide operational support, data management and

when required coordinate the SLS emergency response system.

VOLUNTEER SURF LIFESAVERS

Our volunteer surf lifesavers are provided with fit-for-purpose

equipment designed to operate in the hazardous and challenging

conditions that SLS services encounter. Surf lifesavers utilise

thousands of rescue boards and rescue tubes mostly around the

red and yellow flagged patrol areas. They are supported by 1,094

inflatable rescue boats (IRB), allowing surf lifesavers to quickly

navigate the surf zone and inshore environment.

Roving surveillance patrols that actively monitor stretches

of coastline near a primary patrolled areas are vital to the SLS

drowning prevention strategy. Surf lifesavers undertake these

patrols using 567 side-by-side (SSV) and 4WD vehicles. Similarly,

aerial surveillance can be undertaken through the fleet of 103

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).

SLS services extend beyond the red and yellow flags to provide

surveillance and emergency response in isolated and hazardous

coastal areas. Agile craft such as 181 rescue water craft (RWC)

and six jet rescue boats (JRBs) allow surf lifesavers to access

white-water areas such as coastal bars and rocky coastlines.

A fleet of ten offshore rescue boats (ORBs) and eight rigid-hull

inflatable boats (RIBs) further extend the SLS response capability

providing longer range surveillance, blue-water rescue and

SAR operations.

AUSTRALIAN LIFEGUARD SERVICE

The Australian Lifeguard Service (ALS) is a national lifeguard

provider of beach and pool lifeguard services to 65 local

government councils and land managers across Australia. It is the

largest supplier of professional lifeguards in Australia.

ALS operations are fully integrated into the 24-hour surf

emergency response system and work with SLS’s volunteer

lifesaving services including the strategically located Westpac

Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter Services.

ALS patrols provide a range of services, from single-day patrols

during periods of peak attendance (i.e. public holidays) to 365-

day services for local governments. They are a crucial component

in offering a seamless service to the community during peak

periods. Several councils around Australia operate internal

lifeguard services. Statistics for those services have not been

included in this report.

WESTPAC LIFESAVER RESCUE HELICOPTERS

For rapid, isolated or complex rescues, eight Westpac Lifesaver

Rescue Helicopters provide aerial support to lifesaving services

and further extend our surveillance and SAR capability. These

important assets also support police and other emergency

services in a range of emergency and disaster situations.


SURF LIFE SAVING (SLS) HAS SIGNIFICANT CAPABILITY TO PROVIDE COASTAL SURVEILLANCE PATROLS AND AQUATIC SEARCH AND RESCUE (SAR) OPERATIONS, WORKING IN CLOSE PARTNERSHIP WITH POLICE AND OTHER EMERGENCY SERVICES.

Surf Rescue Certificate (CPR Endorsed)

Spinal Management

Silver Medallion IRB Driver

Silver Medallion Beach Management

Silver Medallion Aquatic Rescue

Radio Operator Certificate

IRB Crew Certificate

Gold Medallion (Advanced Lifesaving)

First Aid [AID]

Advanced Resuscitation Techniques [AID]

534

783

240

9,575

604

10,545

9,601

14,388

1,279

4,563

8,845

7,292

5,898

1,641

Award held by Bronze Medallion HoldersAward held by non-Bronze Medallion holders

Figure 33

2018–19: TOTAL QUALIFICATIONS OF PROFICIENT LIFESAVERS

Figure 32

2018–19: QUALIFICATIONS HELD BY BRONZE MEDALLION HOLDERS

40,959 proficient Bronze Medallion holders also are proficient in nine other lifesaving awards, totalling over 60,000 additional lifesaving

qualifications. This highlights the large amount of additional volunteer training our surf lifesavers undertake to ensure they are highly

skilled first responders.

25 SECTION T WO CAPABILIT Y

FIRST AID 10,545

SPINAL MANAGEMENT

5,898

SILVER MEDALLION IRB DRIVER

7,292

GOLD MEDALLION (ADVANCED LIFESAVING)

534

RADIO OPERATOR

CERTIFICATE4,563

ADVANCED RESUSCITATION

TECHNIQUES 9,601

SILVER MEDALLION

AQUATIC RESCUE

783

IRB CREWCERTIFICATE

14,388

SILVER MEDALLION

BEACH MANAGEMENT

8,845

BRONZE MEDALLION

40,959

S U R F L I F E S A V I N G S E R V I C E S

Figure 34

2018–19: SURF LIFE SAVING SERVICES

There are 314 Surf Life Saving Clubs around Australia: 129 in New South Wales, 57 in Queensland, 57 in Victoria, 31 in Western

Australia, 22 in South Australia, 15 in Tasmania and 3 in Northern Territory. The Australian Lifeguard Service provides 238 lifeguard

services around Australia: 90 in New South Wales, 78 in Queensland, 44 in Victoria, 17 in Western Australia, 5 in Northern Territory,

2 in South Australia and 2 in Tasmania.

1,000km

SCALE

0

Brisbane

Sydney

Canberra

Hobart

Melbourne

Adelaide

Darwin

Perth 219

135

8

24

48

101

17


M E M B E R S H I P C A P A C I T Y

Figure 35

2018–19: PATROLLING MEMBERS

There were a total of 43,092 members who performed a patrol. This includes 6 unspecified gender.

12,001

6,452

3,0982,204

WA

3,6632,896

VIC

582 356

TAS

1,425 1,009

SA

5,589

3,689

QLD

69 53

NTNSW

MaleFemale

Figure 36

2018–19: PROFICIENT MEMBERS

There were a total of 40,959 proficient Bronze Medallion holders and 9,575 Surf Rescue Certificate holders.

5,915

1,392

17,961

3,494

110 12

9,363

2,6262,352

576809

129

4,449

1,346

WA TASSAQLD NTNSW VIC

Bronze MedallionSurf Rescue Certificate

37%Board

No Gear

Other

IRB

Rescue Tube

RWC

Board

37%12%

22%

17%

8%4%

Figure 37

2018-19: EQUIPMENT USE IN RESCUES

61%MALE

39%FEMALE

2018-19: PATROLLING SURF LIFESAVERS


1,000km

SCALE

0

Brisbane

Sydney

Canberra

Melbourne

Adelaide

Darwin

Perth

Hobart

Figure 38

2018–19: SLS MAJOR ASSET LOCATION AND SERVICE RANGE

SLS maintains a fleet of 181 rescue water craft (RWC), as well as 6 jet rescue boats (JRB), 8 rigid-hull inflatable boats (RIB),

10 offshore rescue boats (ORB) and 8 rescue helicopters. Their locations and service ranges are depicted on this map.

A S S E T C A P A B I L I T Y

JRB)


Jet Rescue Boat (

Rigid-hull Inflatable Boat (RIB)

Offshore Rescue Boat (ORB)

Rescue Helicopter

Key to Asset Location

R E S C U E S

Figure 39

2018–19: RESCUES PER LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA (LGA)

SLS lifesavers, lifeguards and lifesaving services performed 10,176 rescues across 117 LGAs around Australia.

1,000km

SCALE

0

Key to Rescues per LGA

< 14 Rescues

15 - 49 Rescues

50 - 149 Rescues

150 - 899 Rescues

> 900 Rescues

Brisbane

Sydney

Canberra

Hobart

Melbourne

Adelaide

Darwin

Perth

76

526

4,710

3,894

304

76

590


P R E V E N T A T I V E A C T I O N S

Figure 40

2018–19: PREVENTATIVE ACTIONS PER LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA (LGA)

SLS lifesavers, lifeguards and lifesaving services performed 1,566,449 preventative actions across 117 LGAs around Australia.

1,000km

SCALE

0

Key to Preventative Actions per LGA

< 1,449 Actions

1,500 - 5,999 Actions

6,000 - 24,999 Actions

25,000 - 99,999 Actions

> 100,000 Actions

Brisbane

Sydney

Canberra

Hobart

Melbourne

Adelaide

Darwin

Perth

14,404

11,311133,553

628,539

54,493

7,934

716,215


F I R S T A I D

Figure 41

2018–19: FIRST AID PER LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA (LGA)

SLS lifesavers, lifeguards and lifesaving services performed 89,695 first aid treatments across 117 LGAs around Australia.

1,000km

SCALE

0

Key to First Aid Incidents per LGA

< 59 Incidents

60 - 249 Incidents

250 - 549 Incidents

550 - 4,999 Incidents

> 5,000 Incidents

Brisbane

Sydney

Canberra

Hobart

Melbourne

Adelaide

Darwin

Perth

2,956

2,802

515

17,174

65,133

1,008

107


F E A T U R E : T H E F R E A K W A V E M Y T H

Rock fishing is currently Australia’s third highest

cause of coastal drowning, following swimming and

boating. The media often attributes these fatalities to

unexpected large waves or ‘freak waves’. Now, the rock fishing

community, Melbourne University and Surf Life Saving Australia

are challenging the idea of ‘freak waves’ on Australia’s coasts by

offering new ways to consider risk.

During this project, highly experienced fishers’ (i.e.,

experiential-experts) revealed that only fishers who do not

understand how the wave period influences the timing of waves

would refer to a large wave during seemingly calm conditions as

a ‘freak wave’.

To help explain how wave periods effect the appearance

and timing of waves, an experiential-expert provided a sketch

showing that when the wave period is 4 - 12 seconds, you can see

dangerous waves more easily. But, during wave periods over 12

seconds, wave heights appear less often, giving the sea a calm

appearance (figure 42).

The relationship between rock fishing-related drowning deaths

were then compared with the daily average wave height, swell

direction, and wave period to examine whether experienced

fishers’ perceptions of long wave periods aligned with the

conditions when fishers drowned.

Results showed that the wave periods were higher than

average, in support of experiential-expert fishers accounts

claiming that when waves are less obvious, inexperienced fishers

are at greater risk due to a lack of understanding on how to

accurately perceive risks.

The media contributes to this myth by drawing on the fear of

terrifying freak waves, but results from this study suggests that

attempts to scare fishers into behaving differently is unlikely to

be effective. From the perspective of experienced fishers, when

media and government draw on the concept of a ‘freak wave’

they are demonstrating either a poor understanding of coastal

processes and risk, or perhaps worse, a misrepresentation of the

situation in an effort to govern coastal users.

The expert knowledge held by experienced fishers is invaluable,

and they should be encouraged to share their knowledge-

practices with less-experienced fishers.

This sharing or exchange of knowledge should be supported

by coastal risk managers by improving the communication

between the experienced and inexperienced components of the

rock fishing community. For example, better communication

regarding how longer wave periods affect the appearance of

risk will help inexperienced fishers to learn, understand and

experience the variety of conditions they are likely to encounter

while fishing. Integration of such supportive strategies will

increase overall enjoyment by fishers and ultimately work

towards reducing rock-fishing related incidents.


Footnote: Reprinted from Ocean and Coastal Management, Vol 173, Peter Kamstra, Brian Cook, David M.Kennedy, Sarah McSweeney, Eveline Rijksen, Shane Daw, Expert perceptions of the ‘freak’ wave myth on Australia’s rocky coasts, Page 104-113, Copyright Elsevier (2019) with permission from Elsevier https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2019.02.015

25m

Low riskHigh risk4 SEC WAVEPERIOD

100m

Moderate riskModerate risk8 SEC WAVEPERIOD

225m

High riskLow risk12 SEC WAVEPERIOD

Wave length (m)

505m

Very high riskAbsence of risk18 SEC WAVEPERIOD

Experienced Attunement to Risk

(In)experienced Visibility of Risk


Figure 42

DIFFERENT RISK PERCEPTIONS AND THE ASSOCIATED SPATIALITY OF THOSE PERCEPTIONS BETWEEN INEXPERIENCED AND EXPERIENCED; DESCRIBED BY A ROCK FISHER WITH OVER SEVEN YEARS EXPERIENCE. ADAPTED FROM AN EXPERIENTIAL-EXPERT SKETCH

Inexperienced fishers tend only to assess risk on the conditions close to shore. More experienced fishers are

attuned to the fact that calm conditions close to shore can still precede large waves in long period sets.

D R O W N I N G A N A LY S I SS E C T I O N T H R E E

CONTRIBUTING DROWNING FACTORS 2004-19

122 COASTAL & OCEAN DROWNING DEATHS MALE

87% 13%FEMALE

22%

Alcohol/Drugs

32%

Medical Conditionor Injury

25%

Rip Currents

S E C T I O N H E A D I N GS E C T I O N 0 1

N A T I O N A L O V E R V I E W2 0 0 4 -19 : 15 -Y E A R R E V I E W

2009-10

Cause of Death listedNo Cause of Death listed

0

30

60

90

120

150

0.0

0.3

0.5

0.4

0.6

Nu

mb

er (n

)

Rat

e (p

er 1

00

,00

0 p

op

.)

2004-05

96

2005-06 2006-07 2007-08

104

2008-09

106 105

2010-11

91

2011-12

117

2012-13 2013-14

85

2014-15

114

2015-16

136

2016-17

110

2017-18

107

2018-19

122

107115

134

Figure 43

2004-19: 15-YEAR TREND OF NATIONAL COASTAL DROWNING DEATHS

National coastal and ocean drowning death numbers and crude

drowning rates for 2004-19 are illustrated above. The 2018-19 rate

per 100,000 population is 0.48, exactly on the 15-year average.

0.4815-YEAR AVERAGE RATE

PER 100,000 POPULATION

11015-YEAR AVERAGE

DROWNING DEATHS

Figure 44

2004-19: 15-YEAR AVERAGE COMPARED TO 2018-19 COASTAL & OCEAN DROWNING DEATHS BY ACTIVITY

Nationally, the number of activity types being undertaken when coastal and ocean drowning deaths occur varies over time. In 2018-19,

the number of drowning deaths while conducting swimming/wading, watercraft, fall, snorkelling and attempting a rescue activities were

above the 15-year average, while boating and PWC and rock fishing incidents were below the 15-year average. The number of drowning

deaths while scuba diving were equal to the 15-year average.

2018-19

43

2018-19

9

Watercraft

Swimming/Wading

Boating & PWC

Rock Fishing

2004-19

33

2004-19

12

2018-19

6

2018-19

9

Snorkelling

Scuba Diving

Fall

Attempting a Rescue2004-19

4

2004-19

5

2018-19

102004-19

82018-19

92004-19

7

2018-19

17 2004-19

242018-19

52004-19

5


Figure 45

2004-19: COASTAL & OCEAN DROWNING DEATHS BY REGION OF BIRTH

The region of birth is currently known for 73% of all coastal and

ocean drowning deaths (n=1,225), with 53% from Australia. When

breaking it down to continents, the top 3 are Australia (n=637),

Asia (n=271) and Europe (n=185).

11-1

2am

10-1

1pm

9-10

pm

8-9p

m

7-8p

m

6-7p

m

5-6p

m

4-5p

m

3-4p

m

2-3p

m

1-2p

m

12-1

pm

11-1

2pm

10-1

1am

9-10

am

8-9a

m

7-8a

m

6-7a

m

5-6a

m

4-5a

m

3-4a

m

2-3a

m

1-2a

m

12-1

am

0

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

Figure 46

2004-19: COASTAL & OCEAN DROWNING DEATHS BY MONTH

The highest percentage of coastal and ocean drowning deaths

occurred in the month of January (n=260), followed by December

(n=194) and March (n=184). Sixty-two per cent occurred outside

of the summer months. Shading denotes seasons.

Figure 47

2004-19: COASTAL & OCEAN DROWNING DEATHS BY TIME

Incident time is currently known for 84% of all coastal and ocean

drowning deaths (n=1,381). The highest density of fatalities

occurred between 12pm and 5pm (n=608).

Jun

e

May

Ap

ril

Mar

ch

Feb

ruar

y

Jan

uary

Dec

emb

er

Nov

emb

er

Oct

ober

Sep

tem

ber

Aug

ust

July

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

The 20-34 year old age group represents 27% of all drowning

deaths. The 45-54 year old age group accounts for 19% of all

drowning deaths.

87%MALE

13%FEMALE

&YEARS OF AGE

20-34 45-54YEARS OF AGE

Australia53%

Latin America

Africa

North America

Oceania

Europe

Asia

Australia

3%

22%

15%

53%

1%

3%3%

SECTION THREE DROWNING ANALYSIS37

2004-19: KEY DEMOGRAPHICS IN COASTAL & OCEAN DROWNING STATISTICS

Since 2017, SLSA has reported coastal fatalities as well

as coastal drowning deaths. This allows SLSA to better

understand the impact other coastal fatalities, such as

medical conditions, marine creatures and other causes, may have

on surf lifesaving services and the wider community. Further

research has been undertaken to investigate the environment

(aquatic or non-aquatic) in which the other coastal fatalities

occur. Non-aquatic fatalities refer to incidents which have

occurred at a coastal location but not in the aquatic environment.

In 2018-19, a total of 122 coastal drowning deaths were

recorded. Additionally, SLSA recorded 68 coastal fatalities

taking the total number of coastal fatalities to 190. Coastal

drowning deaths and other coastal fatalities can have long term,

devastating impacts to family, friends and loved ones in addition

to emergency and lifesaving services.

Acknowledging that 35 per cent of coastal fatalities are not

as a result of drowning creates a range of challenges for the

greater community, SLS and all other aquatic emergency service

agencies. Understanding the type of incidents that occur and the

contributing factors that lead to the fatality will assist to develop

strategies to help reduce incidents in the future.

As the peak coastal rescue authority, Australia’s Surf Lifesaving

Services respond to a range of different coastal incidents.

Research that incorporates coastal drowning deaths and

fatalities will help to identify black spots, provide evidence-

based recommendations to develop preventative or mitigation

strategies for communities as well as provide the necessary

training and support to our lifesaving services.

Figure 48

2018–19: OVERVIEW OF DROWNING DEATHS AND AQUATIC FATALITIES PER STATE

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

NSW QLD VIC WA SA TAS NT

Non-aquatic

Aquatic

Drowning

UnknownNu

mb

er (n

)

N A T I O N A L O V E R V I E W2 018 -19 : 1-Y E A R R E V I E W


Ocean Drowning

Other Fatalities

Coastal Drowning

64%

35%

Coastal Drowning

Deaths

64%

1%

Figure 49

2018-19: OVERVIEW OF DROWNING DEATHS AND FATALITIES PER CATEGORY

68COASTAL

FATALITIES

1OCEAN

121COASTAL

122DROWNING

DEATHS

13NON

AQUATIC

2UNKNOWN

27AQUATIC

26INTENTIONAL

42UNINTENTIONAL

1,000km

SCALE

0

Brisbane

Sydney

Canberra

Hobart

Melbourne

Adelaide

Darwin

Perth

Key to Coastal Incidents

Coastal drowning death

Coastal aquatic fatality

Coastal drowning death or aquatic fatality

6 23 | 4

13 | 11

2

44 | 25

15 | 10

23 | 14

Figure 50

2018-19: COASTAL DROWNING DEATHS AND FATALITIES BY STATE

In 2018-19 there were 122 coastal and ocean drowning deaths and 68 coastal fatalities. Red numbers indicate coastal and ocean

drowning deaths per state. Blue numbers indicate coastal fatalities per state. The black number indicates both coastal drowning

deaths and fatalities combined.

Coastal drowning death

Coastal fatality


Coastal drowning death or fatality

N A T I O N A L O V E R V I E W2 018 -19 : 1-Y E A R R E V I E W

Figure 53

2018-19: LOCATION OF COASTAL AND OCEAN DROWNING DEATHS (n=122)

The majority of coastal and ocean drowning deaths occurred at

a beach (n=71), rock/cliff (n=22) or an offshore location (n=18).

Beach

Rock/Cliff

OffshoreBayPort/MarinaOther

18% 58%

15%

4%3%

2%

Beach58%

UnknownOtherScuba DivingAttempting a rescueFallSnorkellingRock FishingWatercraftBoating & PWCSwimming/Wading

35%

14%8%

7%

7%

7%

6%6%

4%

5%

Swimming/Wading

35%

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1.4

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

0-4 5-9 10-14 15-19 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70-74 75-79 80-84 85+

Nu

mb

er (n

)

Rat

e (p

er 1

00

,00

0 p

op

.)

Female

Male

Figure 51

2018-19: COASTAL & OCEAN DROWNING DEATHS BY AGE AND GENDER (n=122 )

20-24 year olds represent the highest number of drowning deaths. The age group representing the highest rate of drowning deaths

is 75-79 (1.14 rate per 100,000 pop.). Overall, 87% (n=106) of fatalities were male.

Figure 52

2018-19: COASTAL & OCEAN DROWNING DEATHS BY ACTIVITY (n=122)

The majority of coastal and ocean drowning deaths occurred

while swimming/wading (n=43), boating and PWC (n=17),

or watercraft (n=10).


Figure 55

2018–19: DISTANCE FROM DROWNING LOCATION

TO A LIFESAVING SERVICE (n=122)

Forty-three individuals (35%) drowned within 1km of the nearest

lifesaving service. Almost half (n=52, 42%) of incidents happened

further than 5km from a lifesaving service.

Figure 56

2018–19: DISTANCE FROM RESIDENCE

TO DROWNING LOCATION (n=122)

Twenty-seven individuals (22%) lived less than 10km from the

drowning location. Forty-five individuals (37%) lived more than

50km from the incident location while nine individuals (7%) were

international visitors.

Ocean> 5km1 - 5km< 1km

35%

17%

42%

6%

Less than1km

35%

UnknownInternational> 50 km10 - 50 km< 10 km

More than50km

37%

22%

7%

37%

15%

19%

Figure 54

2018-19: COASTAL & OCEAN DROWNING DEATHS PER MONTH (n=122 )

Of the 122 coastal and ocean drowning deaths, 42% (n=52) happened over the summer months (Dec-Feb).

Dark-red squares indicate the 15-year average drowning deaths per month.

0

5

10

15

20

25

JuneMayAprilMarchFebruaryJanuaryDecemberNovemberOctoberSeptemberAugustJuly

12

6

16

25

9

5

Nu

mb

er (n

)

8

13

6 65

11


BRISBANE

SYDNEY

CANBERRA

HOBART

MELBOURNE

ADELAIDE

DARWIN

PERTH

1,000km

SCALE

0

Key to Drowning Activity

Attempting a rescue

Boating and PWC

Fall

Jump

Land-based fishing

Other

Rock fishing

Scuba diving

Snorkelling

Swimming/wading

Unknown

Watercraft

Multiple instances per activity at the same location

Capital city

4

Cocos (Keeling)Islands

ChristmasIsland

Christmas Island to Port Hedlandapproximately 1,800 km

INSET: Indian Ocean Territories

AshmoreReef

Lord HoweIsland

(Inset is same scale as main map)

25

3

4

4

42

7

3

2 96

2

3

4

3

2

3

24 2

43

2

2

62

22

3

73225

23

53

3

242 3 3 2

4 22

235222 15 7

9 2 2

472

12 45

5 222

22

4

10 2 23

222

4 3

47322

32 2

35 2

3

2

22

34324 10762

10 2

4 3 3 2423

5 4 2 213 9 2 2 2 2

25 20 16 6 5 4 4 4 3 2

1416 14 8 5 3

54222

14

9 4 3

6532

33 2

2

5

2

4

422

2

2

2

2

2

2

22

2

3

9

2 2

2 4

2

2

2

3 2

57

2

19 68 4 22

32222

1477322

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2

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962

3

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2

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7 2

3

3

32

2

2

224 5 264

9225 3822

3 2

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2

2

322

32

42

2

2

22

62

2

2 2

22

2

5

2

32

33222

3

3

503

2 BRISBANE

SYDNEY

CANBERRA

HOBART

MELBOURNE

ADELAIDE

DARWIN

PERTH

1,000km

SCALE

0


Attempting a rescue

Boating and PWC

Fall

Jump

Land-based fishing

Other

Rock fishing

Scuba diving

Snorkelling

Swimming/wading

Unknown

Watercraft


Capital city

4


ChristmasIsland



AshmoreReef

Lord HoweIsland


25

3

4

4

42

7

3

2 96

2

3

4

3

2

3

24 2

43

2

2

62

22

3

73225

23

53

3

242 3 3 2

4 22

235222 15 7

9 2 2

472

12 45

5 222

22

4

10 2 23

222

4 3

47322

32 2

35 2

3

2

22

34324 10762

10 2

4 3 3 2423

5 4 2 213 9 2 2 2 2

25 20 16 6 5 4 4 4 3 2

1416 14 8 5 3

54222

14

9 4 3

6532

33 2

2

5

2

4

422

2

2

2

2

2

2

22

2

3

9

2 2

2 4

2

2

2

3 2

57

2

19 68 4 22

32222

1477322

32

3

5

44322 2

4 44322 2

2

222

962

3

2

3

22

3

6

2

410 3

11

2

2

322

2

2

2

4

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7 2

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32

2

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224 5 264

9225 3822

3 2

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322

32

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62

2

2 2

22

2

5

2

32

33222

3

3

503

2

D R O W N I N G L O C A T I O N S2 0 0 4 –19


Figure 57

2004–19: COASTAL DROWNING DEATHS BY ACTIVITY

260

Attempting a rescue

Boating and PWC

Fall

Jump

Land-based fishing

Other

Rock fishing

Scuba diving

Snorkelling

Swimming/wading

Unknown

Watercraft


Capital city

4



ChristmasIsland

Christmas Island to Port Hedland

approximately 1,800 km

INSET: Indian Ocean Territories(Inset is same scale as main map)

3

3

503

BRISBANE

SYDNEY

CANBERRA

HOBART

MELBOURNE

ADELAIDE

DARWIN

PERTH

1,000km

SCALE

0


Attempting a rescue

Boating and PWC

Fall

Jump

Land-based fishing

Other

Rock fishing

Scuba diving

Snorkelling

Swimming/wading

Unknown

Watercraft


Capital city

4


ChristmasIsland



AshmoreReef

Lord HoweIsland


25

3

4

4

42

7

3

2 96

2

3

4

3

2

3

24 2

43

2

2

62

22

3

73225

23

53

3

242 3 3 2

4 22

235222 15 7

9 2 2

472

12 45

5 222

22

4

10 2 23

222

4 3

47322

32 2

35 2

3

2

22

34324 10762

10 2

4 3 3 2423

5 4 2 213 9 2 2 2 2

25 20 16 6 5 4 4 4 3 2

1416 14 8 5 3

54222

14

9 4 3

6532

33 2

2

5

2

4

422

2

2

2

2

2

2

22

2

3

9

2 2

2 4

2

2

2

3 2

57

2

19 68 4 22

32222

1477322

32

3

5

44322 2

4 44322 2

2

222

962

3

2

3

22

3

6

2

410 3

11

2

2

322

2

2

2

4

2

2

7 2

3

3

32

2

2

224 5 264

9225 3822

3 2

2 2

2

2

322

32

42

2

2

22

62

2

2 2

22

2

5

2

32

33222

3

3

503

2 BRISBANE

SYDNEY

CANBERRA

HOBART

MELBOURNE

ADELAIDE

DARWIN

PERTH

1,000km

SCALE

0


Attempting a rescue

Boating and PWC

Fall

Jump

Land-based fishing

Other

Rock fishing

Scuba diving

Snorkelling

Swimming/wading

Unknown

Watercraft


Capital city

4


ChristmasIsland



AshmoreReef

Lord HoweIsland


25

3

4

4

42

7

3

2 96

2

3

4

3

2

3

24 2

43

2

2

62

22

3

73225

23

53

3

242 3 3 2

4 22

235222 15 7

9 2 2

472

12 45

5 222

22

4

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222

4 3

47322

32 2

35 2

3

2

22

34324 10762

10 2

4 3 3 2423

5 4 2 213 9 2 2 2 2

25 20 16 6 5 4 4 4 3 2

1416 14 8 5 3

54222

14

9 4 3

6532

33 2

2

5

2

4

422

2

2

2

2

2

2

22

2

3

9

2 2

2 4

2

2

2

3 2

57

2

19 68 4 22

32222

1477322

32

3

5

44322 2

4 44322 2

2

222

962

3

2

3

22

3

6

2

410 3

11

2

2

322

2

2

2

4

2

2

7 2

3

3

32

2

2

224 5 264

9225 3822

3 2

2 2

2

2

322

32

42

2

2

22

62

2

2 2

22

2

5

2

32

33222

3

3

503

2

81

244

616

289

117

41


D R O W N I N G V S F A T A L I T Y

Coastal drowning deaths have long held the focus of

water safety research due to the severe, accidental and

preventable nature of the incidents. While drowning

deaths make up the bulk of coastal fatalities, a significant

proportion of unintentional coastal fatalities are non-drowning

related. These coastal fatalities include medical incidents,

accidents, injuries, alcohol, drugs and marine creatures. From

an emergency service and rescue perspective, the response to

drowning deaths and other coastal fatality incidents is similar but

until now, most research has focused on drowning deaths. As a

result, there has been a lack of understanding to the number of

fatal incidents faced by lifesavers and emergency services and

therefore the impact this has on first responders.

This research aims to assess the frequency and nature of non-

drowning coastal fatalities compared to drowning deaths and

provide an overview of all fatalities that occur in Australian waters.

Using coronial data, the SurfGuard Incident Report Database

(IRD) and media articles a dataset of non-drowning coastal

fatalities was collated and compared to Surf Life Saving Australia’s

national database of drowning deaths. These databases were

extended to include Australian governed waters including

sovereign waters (including the Australian Fishing and Exclusive

Economic Zones) and our external territories.

Between 2004 and 2019, 42% of all fatalities on the Australian

coast were not drowning-related (n=1,230). Two-thirds of these

other coastal fatalities were unintentional (n=830). Some states

(NT, Qld, SA) showed that these unintentional coastal fatalities

occur more or as frequently than drowning deaths (Figure 58).

Males accounted for 88% of unintentional fatalities, of which

44% were between 45-64 years of age. Most unintentional

fatalities occurred between 9am-4pm (53%, n=346) and during

December (13%, n=109). The highest number of unintentional

coastal fatalities occurred while boating (32%) followed by

swimming/wading (11%) and watercraft (9%), which is similar

to drowning deaths (boating – 21%, swimming/wading – 30%,

watercraft – 7%). Medical episodes and injuries contributed

to 658 (88%) unintentional coastal fatalities but only 442 of

drowning deaths (33%). Toxicology data was available for 87%

of incidents (n=2,144) with alcohol and/or drugs contributing to

109 coastal fatalities (15%) and 315 of drowning deaths (19%).

Marine creatures accounted for 29 (4%) coastal fatalities and no

drowning deaths, while rip currents were known to contribute to

315 drowning deaths (25%) compared to seven coastal

fatalities (1%).

Drowning deaths and coastal fatalities are both increasing

at beaches, coastal fatalities are increasing at rock/cliff

environments while drowning deaths remained stable (Figure

65). Swimming/wading incidents are increasing, while boating

fatalities are decreasing over time (Figure 64). Australian born

individuals accounted for over half of all incidents, followed by

people born in Asia then Europe (Figure 66). For cases involving

Australian residents, 34% of drowning deaths and 26% of coastal

fatalities were born overseas (Figure 67).

This research highlights the extent to which coastal fatalities

on top of drowning deaths impact on lifesaving services and the

wider community. Further investigation will align causal factors

with potential interventions and safety campaigns in addition to

how we can better equip our frontline people to manage these

tragic situations.

MedicalDROWNING DEATH

22%FATALITY DROWNING DEATH

2%FATALITY

Medical & InjuryDROWNING DEATH

9%FATALITY

Injury

Rip Current

25%DROWNING

DEATH

FATALITY

DROWNING DEATH

8%FATALITY

Alcohol

DROWNING DEATH

6%FATALITY

Both Alcohol & Drugs

Drugs8%DROWNING DEATH FATALITYDROWNING

DEATH

0%FATALITY

Marine Creatures

S N A P S H O T 2 0 0 4 -2 019

1,000km

SCALE

0

TORRES STRAIT

49%51%

62%

38%

65%

35%

57%43%

50%50%

42%58%

52%48%

74%

26%

Australian mainlandapprox. 1,600km

INDIAN OCEAN TERRITORIES

Christmas IslandsCocos (Keeling) Islands

83%

17%

Sovereign WatersOceanCoastal

93%

77%

4%

13%

3%10%

Drowning deathOther fatality

Figure 58

PERCENTAGE OF DROWNING DEATHS AND OTHER FATALITIES IN DIFFERENT AQUATIC ZONES


60

75

62

43

55

6265

63

4043

48

42

Male

Female

2009-10

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

0

2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19

0.00

0.08

0.24

0.16

0.32

0.40

61

68

43

Nu

mb

er (n

)

Rat

e (p

er 1

00

,00

0 p

op

.)

Figure 60

2004-19: 15-YEAR AVERAGE COMPARED TO 2018-19 UNINTENTIONAL FATALITIES BY ACTIVITY

Nationally, the number of activity types being undertaken when unintentional fatalities occur varies over time. In 2018-19, the number of

coastal fatalities while swimming/wading and scuba diving were above the 15-year average, while boating and PWC, watercraft, rock fishing,

attempting a rescue and non-aquatic transport related incidents were below the 15-year average. The number of unintentional fatalities while

snorkelling is equal with the 15-year average.

Figure 59

2004-19: NATIONAL 15-YEAR TREND OF UNINTENTIONAL COASTAL FATALITIES

National unintentional coastal fatality numbers and crude rates for 2004-19 are illustrated above. Unintentional coastal fatalities

include deaths other than drowning deaths (such as medical incidents, accidents, or marine creature), excluding homicide and

self-harm related incidents.

2018-19

8

2018-19

0

Watercraft

Swimming/Wading

Boating & PWC

Rock Fishing

2004-19

6

2004-19

1

2018-19

0

2018-19

4

Snorkelling

Scuba Diving

Non-aquatic Transport


1

2004-19

5

2018-19

42004-19

52018-19

32004-19

3

2018-19

92004-19

182018-19

42004-19

3

46

U N I N T E N T I O N A L C O A S T A L F A T A L I T I E S2 0 0 4 -19 : 15 -Y E A R R E V I E W


0.2515-YEAR AVERAGE FATALITY

RATE PER 100,000

POPULATION

5515-YEAR AVERAGE

UNINTENTIONAL

FATALITIES

Figure 61

2004-19: LOCATION OF UNINTENTIONAL COASTAL FATALITIES

The majority of unintentional coastal fatalities occurred at a

beach (46%), offshore locations (16%) or bay (12%).

11-1

2am

10-1

1pm

9-10

pm

8-9p

m

7-8p

m

6-7p

m

5-6p

m

4-5p

m

3-4p

m

2-3p

m

1-2p

m

12-1

pm

11-1

2pm

10-1

1am

9-10

am

8-9a

m

7-8a

m

6-7a

m

5-6a

m

4-5a

m

3-4a

m

2-3a

m

1-2a

m

12-1

am

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Figure 62

2004-19: UNINTENTIONAL COASTAL FATALITIES

BY MONTH

The highest percentage of fatalities occurring in the month of

December (n=109), followed by January (n=86) and April (n=76).

Sixty-eight per cent occurred outside of the summer months.

Shading denotes seasons.

Figure 63

2004-19: UNINTENTIONAL COASTAL FATALITIES BY TIME

The time is known for 78% of all unintentional coastal and ocean

fatalities (n=657). The highest density of fatalities occurred

between 9am and 4pm (n=346).

Jun

e

May

Ap

ril

Mar

ch

Feb

ruar

y

Jan

uary

Dec

emb

er

Nov

emb

er

Oct

ober

Sep

tem

ber

Aug

ust

July

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

OtherUnknown

Pool PublicRiver/CreekJettyPort/MarinaRock/Cliff

OffshoreBay

Beach

5%

12%

16%

46%

10%

7%

2%

1%

Beach46%

47

The 45-64 year old age group represents 44% of all unintentional

deaths. The 60-64 year old age group accounts for 11% of all

unintentional deaths.

88%MALE

12%FEMALE

&YEARS OF AGE

45-64 60-64YEARS OF AGE

2004-19: KEY DEMOGRAPHICS IN UNINTENTIONAL COASTAL FATALITIES

1

2

112

13

11

9

2004 - 19

2009 - 19

2014 - 19

2018 - 19

1

14

4

4

6

2004 - 19

2009 - 19

2014 - 19

2018 - 19

6

7

6

712

17

2004 - 19

2009 - 19

2014 - 19

2018 - 1914

14

9

13

16

1824

24

25

17

2004 - 19

2009 - 19

2014 - 19

2018 - 19

4

6

6

58

9

9

10

2004 - 19

2009 - 19

2014 - 19

2018 - 19

8

5

6

62004 - 19

2009 - 19

2014 - 19

2018 - 19

33

37

43

32


D R O W N I N G D E A T H V S F A T A L I T YR E V I E W O F T R E N D S O V E R T I M E

ATTEMPTED RESCUE

BOATING & PWC

SWIMMING/WADING

ROCK FISHING

SCUBA DIVING & SNORKELLING

FATALITYDROWNING DEATH

WATERCRAFT

Figure 64

ACTIVITY TREND: 15 YEAR (2004-19), 10 YEAR (2009-19) AND 5 YEAR (2014-19) AVERAGE NUMBERS OF DROWNING DEATHS AND FATALITIES COMPARED WITH TOTAL NUMBERS FOR 2018-19

2018 -19 2014 -19 2009 -19 2004 -19

OtherJettyPort/MarinaBayRock/CliffOffshoreBeach

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

2018 -19 2014 -19 2009 -19 2004 -19

Figure 66

2004-19 CONTINENT OF ORIGIN FOR DROWNING DEATHS AND FATALITIES

Continent of origin was known for 74% drowning deaths

(n=1,225) and 76% of fatalities (n=630). For these cases

combined, 54% were Australian, 18% were from Asia and

17% were European.

Figure 67

PLACE OF BIRTH OF AUSTRALIAN RESIDENTS INVOLVED IN DROWNING DEATHS AND FATALITIES (2004-19)

Visitor or residence status was known for 88% drowning deaths

(n=962) and 92% of fatalities (n=502). Continent of origin was

known for 78% of residents (n=1,464) with residents who were

born overseas accounting for 34% and 26% of Australian resident

drowning death and fatality cases respectively.

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

FatalityDrowning death

Australian bornOverseas born

Nu

mb

ers

(n)

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

LatinAmerica

AfricaNewZealand

NorthAmerica

OceaniaEuropeAsiaAustralia

Drowning deathsFatalities

Nu

mb

ers

(n)

Figure 65

15 YEAR (2004-19), 10 YEAR (2009-19) AND 5 YEAR (2014-19) LOCATION TRENDS OF DROWNING DEATHS AND FATALITIES COMPARED WITH 2018-19


FATA

LITY

DR

OW

NIN

G D

EA

TH

Swimming/Wading

34%34%5%

11%

8%

5%

8%

3%3%

4%

19%

UnknownOtherScuba DivingSnorkellingFallAttempting a RescueWatercraftBoatingRock FishingSwimming/Wading

Figure 68

2004–19: 15-YEAR TREND OF NSW COASTAL AND OCEAN

DROWNING DEATHS

In 2018–19, coastal and ocean drowning deaths in New South

Wales (NSW) were over the 15-year average of 41. The rate per

100,000 population was 0.55, under the average rate of 0.56.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

39

33

43 45

32

49 49

29

39

56

36

44

Nu

mb

er (n

)

33

0.0

0.4

0.3

0.5

0.6

0.8

0.7

Rat

e (p

er 1

00

,00

0 p

op

.)

201

4-1

5

20

08

-09

20

04

-05

201

0-1

1

20

06

-07

20

05

-06

20

07-0

8

20

09

-10

201

1-12

201

2-13

201

3-1

4

201

5-1

6

201

6-1

7

201

7-18

201

8-1

9

49

40

Figure 70

2004–19: COASTAL AND OCEAN DROWNING DEATHS

BY ACTIVITY (n=616)

The majority of coastal and ocean drowning deaths in NSW

occurred when swimming/wading (n=209), rock fishing

(n=117), boating (n=68) and using watercraft (n=49).

Figure 69

15-YEAR AVERAGE COMPARED TO 2018-19 COASTAL AND OCEAN DROWNING RATES BY ACTIVITY

In 2018-19 drowning death rates (per 100,000 population) were lower than the 15-year average in boating and PWC, watercraft

and rock fishing related incidents. The yearly rate of incidents related to attempting a rescue and falls were higher than the

15-year average.

N E W S O U T H W A L E S

2018-19

0.04

2018-19

0.02

2018-19

0.10

Watercraft

Swimming/Wading

Boating & PWC

Rock Fishing

2004-19

0.06

2004-19

0.04

2004-19

0.11

2018-19

0.02

2018-19

0.02

2018-19

0.06

Snorkelling

Scuba Diving

Fall


0.192004-19

0.192018-19

0.042004-19

0.03

2004-19

0.02

2004-19

0.02

2004-19

0.03


SYDNEY

CANBERRA

1,000km

SCALE

0


Attempting a rescue

Boating and PWC

Fall

Jump

Land-based fishing

Other

Rock fishing

Scuba diving

Snorkelling

Swimming/wading

Unknown

Watercraft


Capital city

4

Lord HoweIsland

9 2 2

472

12 45

5 222

22

4

10 2 23

222

4 3

47322

32 2

35 2

3

2

22

34324 10762

10 2

4 3 3 2423

5 4 2 213 9 2 2 2 2

25 20 16 6 5 4 4 4 3 2

1416 14 8 5 3

54222

14

9 4 3

6532

33 2

2

5

2

4

422

2

2

2

KEY DEMOGRAPHIC

20-34YEAR OLD SWIMMERS/WADERS

40-59YEAR OLD ROCK FISHERS

&

AVERAGE

NUMBER

41AVERAGE FATALITY RATE

0.56PER 100,000 POPULATION

45% LESS THAN 1KM FROM A SURF LIFE SAVING SERVICE

2004–19 COASTAL & OCEAN DROWNING DEATHS


DROWNING DEATHS BY ACTIVITY

Swimming/Wading

41%

UnknownJumpScuba DivingSnorkellingWatercraftBoatingAttempting a rescueFallRock FishingSwimming/Wading

34%

5%5%

7%

5%

18%

5%

3%

11%

7%

DROWNING DEATHS BY LOCATION

Beach

Rocks/Cliffs

Offshore

34%

59%

7%

59%Beach

89%MALE

11%FEMALE

D R O W N I N G S N A P S H O T

COASTAL & OCEAN DROWNING DEATHS

44

FATALITY RATE


Attempting a Rescue Boating and PWC Fall Jump Land-based fishing Other

Rock Fishing Scuba Diving Snorkelling Swimming/Wading Unknown

Watercraft4 Multiple instances per

activity at the same location

Capital city

Figure 71

2004–19: 15-YEAR TREND OF QLD COASTAL AND OCEAN

DROWNING DEATHS

In 2018–19, coastal and ocean drowning deaths remained the

same as the previous year in Queensland (Qld). This is above the

15 year average of 19.

Figure 73


BY ACTIVITY (n=289)

The majority of coastal and ocean drowning deaths in Qld

occurred when swimming/wading (n=95), boating & PWC

(n=81), snorkelling (n=35) and using watercraft (n=23).

Figure 72


Drowning death rates (per 100,000 population) were higher than the 15-year average in swimming/wading, watercraft and snorkelling

activities in 2018-19. The rates are lower than the 15-year average for boating and PWC, rock fishing, attempting a rescue and

scuba diving.

0

5

10

15

20

25

21

15

22

1716

17

20

25

1614

2423 23 23

13

0.2

0.4

0.3

0.5

0.6

Nu

mb

er (n

)

Rat

e (p

er 1

00

,00

0 p

op

.)

201

4-1

5

20

08

-09

20

04

-05

201

0-1

1

20

06

-07

20

05

-06

20

07-0

8

20

09

-10

201

1-12

201

2-13

201

3-1

4

201

5-1

6

201

6-1

7

201

7-18

201

8-1

9

UnknownOtherRock FishingNon-aquatic TransportScuba DivingAttempting a RescueFallWatercraftSnorkellingBoating & PWCSwimming/Wading

12%

8%

3%

4%

28%

3%

33%

2%

3%3%

Swimming/Wading

33%

Q U E E N S L A N D

2018-19

0.04

Watercraft Snorkelling2004-19

0.042018-19

0.082004-19

0.06

2018-19

0.06

Boating & PWC2004-19

0.122018-19

0.00

Scuba Diving2004-19

0.01

2018-19

0.00

Rock Fishing2004-19

0.012018-19

0.02

Fall2004-19

0.02

Swimming/Wading Attempting a Rescue2018-19

0.262004-19

0.132018-19

0.002004-19

0.01


BRISBANE

3

2

6 3 2

2

2 2 2

3

32

3

232 2

2

23

242

2

2

622

2 22

2

2

422

2222

82 32

10 6 2 2 239

9 3 2 2 2

46 % LESS THAN 1KM FROM A SURF LIFE SAVING SERVICE

2004-19 COASTAL & OCEAN DROWNING DEATHS

2018 -19 COASTAL & OCEAN DROWNING DEATHS

KEY DEMOGRAPHIC


60-64YEAR OLD BOATERS

&

79%Beach

Beach

Offshore

Rock/Cliff

Port/Marina

79%

13%

4%4%


AVERAGE NUMBER





Swimming/Wading

57%

FallWatercraftBoating & PWCSnorkellingSwimming/Wading

57%

4%

9%

13%

17%


23

FATALITY RATE


Attempting a Rescue Boating and PWC Fall Jump Land-based Fishing Other Rock Fishing Scuba Diving Snorkelling Swimming/Wading Unknown Watercraft

4 Multiple instances per activity at the same location

Capital city

Figure 74

2004–19: 15-YEAR TREND OF VIC COASTAL AND OCEAN

DROWNING DEATHS

In 2018–19, the number of coastal and ocean drowning deaths in

Victoria (Vic) showed an increase from 2017-18 and was above the

15-year average of 16 .

Figure 76


BY ACTIVITY (n=244)

The majority of coastal and ocean drowning deaths in Vic

occurred when swimming/wading (n=78), boating & PWC

(n=49) and using watercraft (n=20).

Figure 75


In 2018-19 drowning death rates (per 100,000 population) were higher than or equal to the 15-year average for all activities except

for swimming/wading, boating and PWC and rock fishing.

1416

11

19

1112 13

10

24

15

20

23

20

23

13

0

5

10

15

20

25

0.1

0.3

0.2

0.4

0.5

Nu

mb

er (n

)

Rat

e (p

er 1

00

,00

0 p

op

.)

201

4-1

5

20

08

-09

20

04

-05

201

0-1

1

20

06

-07

20

05

-06

20

07-0

8

20

09

-10

201

1-12

201

2-13

201

3-1

4

201

5-1

6

201

6-1

7

201

7-18

201

8-1

9

UnknownOtherFallAttempting a RescueSnorkellingRock FishingScuba DivingWatercraftBoating & PWCSwimming/Wading

5%

8%

5%

7%

20%

5%

32%4%

5%

10%

Swimming/Wading

32%

V I C T O R I A

2018-19

0.08

2018-19

0.05

2018-19

0.05

2018-19

0.00

Watercraft

Swimming/Wading

Boating & PWC

Rock Fishing

2004-19

0.09

2004-19

0.06

2004-19

0.02

2004-19

0.02

2018-19

0.03

2018-19

0.03

2018-19

0.03

2018-19

0.03

Snorkelling

Scuba Diving

Fall


0.01

2004-19

0.02

2004-19

0.01

2004-19

0.01


MELBOURNE

2

2

2

3 2

57

2

19 68 4 22

32222

1477322

32

3

5

44322 2

4 44322 2

2

222

962

KEY DEMOGRAPHIC

20-29YEAR OLD SWIMMERS


&

AVERAGE

NUMBER



35% BETWEEN 1 AND 5KM FROM A SURF LIFE SAVING SERVICE




23

FATALITY RATE



Swimming/Wading

22%

UnknownJumpSnorkellingScuba DivingFallAttempting a RescueWatercraftBoatingSwimming/Wading

13%

9%

9%

9%

22%

9%

13%

13%

4%


Beach 52%

Port/Marina

Offshore

Bay

Jetty

Rock/Cliff

Beach

17%

52%

13%

9%

4%4%

86%MALE

14%FEMALE


Attempting a Rescue Boating and PWC Fall Jump Land-based fishing Other




Capital city

Figure 77

2004–19: 15-YEAR TREND OF WA COASTAL AND OCEAN

DROWNING DEATHS

In 2018–19, coastal and ocean drowning deaths in Western

Australia (WA) dropped to below the 15-year average of 17. From

2004 to 2019, the average rate per 100,000 population is 0.73.

Figure 79


BY ACTIVITY (n=260)

The majority of coastal and ocean drowning deaths in WA

occurred when boating & PWC (n=65), swimming/wading

(n=57), rock fishing (n=36) and snorkelling (n=29).

Figure 78


Drowning death rates (per 100,000 population) were lower than the 15-year average in all activities in 2018-19, except boating

and PWC.

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

9

17

21

1514

18

16 16

30

11

16

20

1315

29

0.2

0.6

0.4

0.8

1.0

1.2

Nu

mb

er (n

)

Rat

e (p

er 1

00

,00

0 p

op

.)

201

4-1

5

20

08

-09

20

04

-05

201

0-1

1

20

06

-07

20

05

-06

20

07-0

8

20

09

-10

201

1-12

201

2-13

201

3-1

4

201

5-1

6

201

6-1

7

201

7-18

201

8-1

9

6%

14%

11%

5%

8%

22%

5%

25%2%

Boating

25%

UnknownOtherAttempting a RescueScuba DivingFallWatercraftSnorkellingRock FishingSwimming/WadingBoating & PWC

W E S T E R N A U S T R A L I A

2018-19

0.08

2018-19

0.31

2018-19

0.04

2018-19

0.04

Watercraft

Swimming/Wading

Boating & PWC

Rock Fishing

2004-19

0.16

2004-19

0.19

2004-19

0.06

2004-19

0.10

2018-19

0.00

2018-19

0.00

2018-19

0.04

2018-19

0.00

Snorkelling

Scuba Diving

Fall


0.01

2004-19

0.03

2004-19

0.08

2004-19

0.04


53% GREATER THAN 5KM FROM A SURF LIFE SAVING SERVICE



KEY DEMOGRAPHIC

30-39YEAR OLD SWIMMERS/WADERS & SNORKELLERS


&

PERTH

AshmoreReef

4

2

2

7 2

3

3

32

2

2

224 5 264

9225 3822

3 2

2 2

2

2

322

32

42

2

2

22

62

2

2 2

22

2

5


53%Offshore

15

BayRock/CliffBeach

Port/Marina

Offshore20%

53%

13%

7%

7%



53%Boating

Rock FishingNon-aquatic TransportSwimming/Wading

UnknownWatercraftSnorkelling

Boating53%

7%

7%

7%

7%

7%

13%


15

FATALITY RATE




Capital city

Figure 80

2004–19: 15-YEAR TREND OF SA COASTAL AND OCEAN

DROWNING DEATHS

In 2018–19, the number of coastal and ocean drowning deaths in

South Australia (SA) increased above the 2004-19 annual average

of 8. This year, the rate per 100,000 population was 0.75.

Figure 82


BY ACTIVITY (n=117)

The majority of coastal and ocean drowning deaths in SA

occurred when swimming/wading (n=46) and boating and

PWC (n=30).

Figure 81


Drowning death rates (per 100,000 population) were increased from the 15-year average in swimming/wading, watercraft,

scuba diving and attempting a rescue activities in 2018-19. There was a decrease from the average for boating and PWC, fall

and snorkelling activities.

0

3

6

9

12

15

9 9

7

1213

10

0.0

0.4

0.2

0.6

0.8

1.0

Nu

mb

er (n

)

Rat

e (p

er 1

00

,00

0 p

op

.)

201

4-1

5

20

08

-09

20

04

-05

201

0-1

1

20

06

-07

20

05

-06

20

07-0

8

20

09

-10

201

1-12

201

2-13

201

3-1

4

201

5-1

6

201

6-1

7

201

7-18

201

8-1

9

8

13

3 34

7 7 7

5

UnknownOtherNon-aquatic TransportAttempting a RescueWatercraftSnorkellingLand-based FishingScuba DivingFallBoating & PWCSwimming/Wading

Swimming/Wading

39%

3%

26%

6%

3%

6%

4%

39%3%

3%

3%3%

S O U T H A U S T R A L I A

Snorkelling

Scuba Diving

Fall


0.40

2018-19

0.00

2018-19

0.06

2018-19

0.00

Watercraft

Swimming/Wading

Boating & PWC

Rock Fishing

2004-19

0.19

2004-19

0.12

2004-19

0.02

2004-19

0.00

2018-19

0.062004-19

0.02

2018-19

0.062004-19

0.02

2018-19

0.002004-19

0.02

2018-19

0.002004-19

0.03


KEY DEMOGRAPHIC



&

ADELAIDE

3

2

3

22

3

6

2

410 3

11

2

2

322

2

2

2

AVERAGE

NUMBER







13

FATALITY RATE



Swimming/Wading

54%

UnknownOtherWatercraftScuba DivingAttempting a rescueSwimming/Wading

54%

15%

8%

8%

8%

8%


Beach 69%

BeachRock/CliffBeach

69%

23%

8%

80%MALE

20%FEMALE




Capital city

Figure 83

2004–19: 15-YEAR TREND OF TAS COASTAL AND OCEAN

DROWNING DEATHS

In 2018–19, there were three coastal and ocean drowning

deaths in Tasmania (Tas). This is below the 15-year annual

average of five.

Figure 85


BY ACTIVITY (n=81)

The majority of coastal and ocean drowning deaths in Tas

occurred when boating (n=37), swimming/wading (n=9)

and falls (n=8).

Figure 84


Drowning death rates (per 100,000 population) were lower than the 15-year average in all activities in 2018-19, except for

swimming/wading and watercraft activities.

5 5

3

8 8

6

5 5

6

5

3

4

6

3

9

0

2

4

6

8

10

0.5

1.5

1.0

2.0

Nu

mb

er (n

)

Rat

e (p

er 1

00

,00

0 p

op

.)

201

4-1

5

20

08

-09

20

04

-05

201

0-1

1

20

06

-07

20

05

-06

20

07-0

8

20

09

-10

201

1-12

201

2-13

201

3-1

4

201

5-1

6

201

6-1

7

201

7-18

201

8-1

9

Boating

46%

UnknownOtherLand-based FishingAttempting a RescueScuba DivingWatercraftRock FishingFallSwimming/wadingBoating

2%

11%

10%

6%

7%

6%

46%

6%

T A S M A N I A

Watercraft Snorkelling

Scuba Diving

Swimming/Wading

Boating

Rock Fishing Fall


0.192004-19

0.12

2018-19

0.002004-19

0.48

2018-19

0.192004-19

0.07

2018-19

0.002004-19

0.08

2018-19

0.002004-19

0.03

2018-19

0.002004-19

0.07

2018-19

0.002004-19

0.01

2018-19

0.002004-19

0.11


HOBART

2

2

22

2

3

9

2 2

2 4

2

AVERAGE

NUMBER



KEY DEMOGRAPHIC






3

FATALITY RATE



Swimming/Wading

33%

Non-aquatic Transport

Swimming/Wading

Watercraft

33%

33%

33%


Beach 67%

JettyBeach

67%

33%


KEY DEMOGRAPHIC


Attempting a Rescue Boating Fall Jump Land-based fishing Other




Capital city

86%MALE

14%FEMALE

Figure 86

2004–19: 15-YEAR TREND OF NT COASTAL AND OCEAN

DROWNING DEATHS

In 2018–19, coastal and ocean drowning deaths in Northern

Territory (NT) decreased to 1, below the 15-year average of 3.

Figure 88

2004–19: COASTAL AND OCEAN DROWNING

DEATHS BY ACTIVITY (n=41)

The majority of coastal and ocean drowning deaths in NT

occurred when boating (n=17) and falls (n=4).

Figure 87


Drowning death rates (per 100,000 population) were lower than the 15-year average for boating, attempting a rescue, scuba diving

and snorkelling activities in 2017-19. The rates were higher for falls and swimming/wading related incidents.

6

5

4

5

4

3 33

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

0.0

0.5

1.5

1.0

2.0

2.5

3.0

Nu

mb

er (n

)

Rat

e (p

er 1

00

,00

0 p

op

.)

201

4-1

5

20

08

-09

20

04

-05

201

0-1

1

20

06

-07

20

05

-06

20

07-0

8

20

09

-10

201

1-12

201

2-13

201

3-1

4

201

5-1

6

201

6-1

7

201

7-18

201

8-1

9

1

2 2 2

1

UnknownOtherScuba Diving/SnorkellingJumpAttempting a RescueSwimming/WadingFallBoating

10%

10%

7%

7%

7%

41%

5%

12%

Boating

41%

N O R T H E R N T E R R I T O R Y

2017-19

0.14

2017-19

0.40

2017-19

0.00

2017-19

0.00

Watercraft

Swimming/Wading

Boating

Rock Fishing

2004-19

0.09

2004-19

0.57

2004-19

0.00

2004-19

0.00

2017-19

0.00

2017-19

0.00

2017-19

0.00

2017-19

0.14

Snorkelling

Scuba Diving

Fall


0.10

2004-19

0.03

2004-19

0.03

2004-19

0.13



KEY DEMOGRAPHIC


KEY DEMOGRAPHIC





DARWIN

2

32

33222

2017–19 DROWNING DEATHS BY ACTIVITY

Boating43%

Unknown

Fall

Jump

Swimming/WadingBoating

43%

14%

14%

14%

14%

2017–19 DROWNING DEATHS BY LOCATION

Offshore29%

Jetty

Beach

Bay

Port/MarinaOffshore

29%

29%

14%

14%

14%

88%MALE

12%FEMALE


AVERAGE

NUMBER 3

Attempting a Rescue Boating Fall Jump Land-based Fishing Other




Capital city


FATALITY RATE


1

2017 - 19

Adult For the purpose of this report, adults refer to a person 16

years of age and over.

Advanced Resuscitation Techniques A certification providing

the skills and knowledge required to use specialised equipment

in the provision of resuscitation in line with the Australian

Resuscitation Council (ARC) guidelines.

ALS Australian Lifeguard Service.

Apply First Aid A certification providing the skills and knowledge

required to provide a first aid response to a casualty.

Attempting a rescue Trying to retrieve a person in distress and

deliver them to a place of safety.

AWSC Australian Water Safety Council also Australian Water

Safety Conference.

AWSS Australian Water Safety Strategy.

Bay A body of water partially enclosed by land but with a wide

mouth, affording access to the sea.

Beach A wave-deposited accumulation of sediment – usually

sand, but ranging in size up to boulders deposited between the

upper swash limit and wave base.

Blackspot An area with a concentration of coastal/ocean

incidents and a high probability/risk of ongoing recurrence.

Boating Using either a powered vessel or sailing boat for pleasure

and/or fishing.

Bystander A person who is present at an incident but not part of

it initially.

Coastal Describes the foreshore, seabed, coastal water and air

space above a large body of water (harbour/bay/inlet), including

areas up to 3nm offshore and of which the landward boundary

is the line of mean high water, except where that line crosses

a river/inlet, the landward boundary at that point shall be the

point upstream that is calculated by multiplying the width

of the river/inlet mouth by five. (Adopted from the Resource

Management Amendment Act 1993 New Zealand).

COD Cause of death.

Crude drowning rate A comparative rate of drowning to the size

of the population in a given area.

Dangerous surf warning An alert issued by the Bureau of

Meteorology indicating that surf conditions in an area are unsafe

for coastal activities. The warnings are calculated based on wave

height, swell direction and swell period and must exceed the

predetermined limitations to be in effect.

Drowning The process of experiencing respiratory impairment

from submersion/immersion in liquid; outcomes are classified

as death, morbidity and no morbidity.

Drowning Death A fatal incident arising from the process of

respiratory impairment as a result of submersion/immersion

in liquid.

Drugs A medicine or other substance which has a physiological

effect when ingested or otherwise introduced to the body. The

category includes therapeutic, over-the-counter and

illicit drugs.

Emergency response An action taken by an SLS entity

in response to a call for assistance from an emergency

management organisation.

Falls (trips/slips) Events that result in a person coming to rest

inadvertently on the ground or other lower level.

Fatality A fatal incident arising from circumstances other than

drowning (e.g. medical condition, injury, self-harm,

marine creature).

First Aid Assessments and interventions that can be performed

by a bystander (or by the victim) with minimal to no equipment.

Fishing The act of attempting to catch fish from anywhere except

coastal rock platforms.

Foreign ethnicity Describes an individual who identifies with

a cultural group other than Australian based on heritage,

language or shared customs. This identification is extrapolated

from reported data such as the individuals’ country of birth and

the main language spoken at home.

Hazard A source of potential harm.

ILS International Life Saving Federation.

Incident Any unplanned event requiring lifesaving

services intervention.

Inland An area that is beyond the line of mean high water or within

a landward distance of five times the width of the coastal inlet/

river mouth.

Inshore The coastal water area within 500m of the low tide area of

the foreshore.

International Describes an individual who is confirmed to reside

overseas and/or is a temporary visitor to Australia.

IRB Inflatable rescue boat.

IRD Incident report database. A web-based portal used by SLS

services to electronically record incident reports.

Jetty An artificial structure that projects out into the water

from land.

JRB Jet rescue boat.

Jump(ing) The activity of launching off a cliff, rock platform, pier,

jetty. Aka tombstoning (UK/Europe/North America).

Lake An inland body of water surrounded by land.

Lifeguard An individual who undertakes patrols at a beach or

another aquatic environment. He/she is typically a salaried

member, qualified in public safety and aquatic rescue.

Lifejacket A buoyant or inflatable garment or device designed to

keep a person afloat in water and increase their likelihood

of survival.

G L O S S A R Y


Lifesaving Service A coordinated group that exists to provide

aquatic safety services to the public. This includes Surf Life

Saving Clubs, Lifeguards, SurfCom, RWCs, RIBs, JRBs, ORBs,

Rescue Helicopters and 4WD units.

Local Government Area (LGA) Also known as local councils,

LGAs include cities, town, shires, municipalities or boroughs.

Marina a man-made boat basin having sea walls or breakwaters

and offering dockage and other services for water vessels.

Medical For the purpose of this report, medical refers to an

aquatic incident that was caused by a medical episode, e.g.a

heart attack or epileptic seizure.

NCIS National Coronial Information System.

Non-aquatic fatality Non-aquatic fatalities refer to incidents

which have occurred at a coastal location but not in the

aquatic environment.

Non-aquatic transport Any form of transport that is not meant

for the water such as airplanes, bicycles, and motor vehicles.

Offshore Describes the coastal water area beyond the surf zone

and inshore area from 500m to 200nm.

Ocean The seabed, water and air space above the water between

3nm and 12nm (the Australian Territorial Sea) offshore.

ORB Offshore rescue boat.

Other An uncommon known activity not otherwise listed (e.g.,

paragliding, aircraft crash).

Patrol Service undertaken to monitor activities in/around an

aquatic environment and respond accordingly through either

preventative actions or rescue operations.

Patrol flags Red/yellow horizontally divided flags which are

set after performing a risk assessment to determine the most

suitable area for swimming. The flags identify a zone for

swimming and bodyboarding within a patrolled location.

Patrolled location A location supervised by a lifesaving service.

Preventative action Direct action taken to reduce or eliminate

the probability of a specific rescue, first aid or other reportable

incident from happening in the future.

PWC Personal water craft, also known as jet ski.

Rescue The retrieval of a person in distress, delivering them to

a place of safety and the application of first aid and basic life

support as may be required.

Resuscitation Prevention or restoration of life by establishing and

maintaining a person’s airway, breathing and circulation.

RIB Rigid-hull inflatable boat.

Rip current A seaward flowing current of water moving through

a surf zone.

River A natural stream of water flowing into an ocean, lake or

other body of water.

Rock/cliff A rock platform that may or may not have a high

steep face.

Rock fishing The act of attempting to catch fish from a coastal

rock platform.

Rock shelf A section of rock above or below the water level that

projects out from the coast.

RWC Rescue water craft.

Scuba diving Swimming underwater with the aid of scuba

equipment for recreational or commercial purposes.

Service season and hours Vary between states due to climatic

factors, but in the context of this report, the season is for the

period July 2018 to June 2019.

Snorkelling Swimming with a snorkel and face mask. Includes

freediving and spearfishing.

Sovereign waters The seabed, water and air space above the

water between 12nm and 200nm (the Australian Contiguous,

Exclusive Economic and Fishing Zones) offshore.

SurfCom SLS radio communications centre that assists in

managing the communications of lifesaving operations and

data collection.

Surf lifesaver An individual who undertakes patrols at a beach

or other aquatic environment. He/she is typically a nonsalaried

member qualified in public safety and aquatic rescue.

Surf Life Saving Club A SLS affiliated not-for-profit organisation

that has volunteer members who provide coastal safety services

to the community.

Swimming Moving through water by moving the body or parts of

the body.

Territorial seas The seaward limits of Australia’s maritime zones,

from the coastline to 12nm from the low tide line.

Total Service Plan An assessment of current and future lifesaving

resources, trends, national blackspots and coastal safety issues

combined with evidence-based mitigation strategies to address

these issues.

Toxicity The degree to which a chemical substance or a particular

mixture of substances is toxic or poisonous to an organism. In

the context of this report, toxicity refers to alcohol or drug used

by a drowning victim.

Unintentional Fatality Include deaths other than drowning

deaths (such as medical incidents, accidents, or marine

creature), however for this report exclude homicide and self-

harm related incidents.

Wading Walking through water while partially immersed.

Watercraft A piece of non-powered recreational equipment used

in water. Examples include surf boards, stand-up paddle boards,

boogie boards, windsurfers or kayaks.

SURF LIFE SAVING AUS TR ALIA GLOSSARY65

METHODOLOGY

The National Coastal Safety Report 2019 contains information on

Australian community behaviours and attitudes to the coast; SLS

capability and membership capacity; rescues and emergency

response; and coastal drowning deaths and other fatalities that

occurred in Australia’s waters for the period of 1 July 2018 to 30

June 2019. This information is correct as of 7 August 2019. All

care is taken to ensure the statistical information included within

this report is correct. However, pending the outcome of ongoing

coronial investigations and as SLS state/territory entities update

their operational information, this data may be amended. Data in

figures may not always add up to 100% due to rounding.

THE AUSTRALIAN COMMUNITY ANALYSIS

Information about community swimming ability, behaviours and

attitudes to coastal safety, risk perceptions, safety strategies

and rescues was gathered from the SLSA National Coastal Safety

Survey. Conducted by Omnipoll Market Research, the latest

survey was run online over the period 10 - 23 April 2019 among

a national sample of 1,642 respondents aged 16 and above.

The study was carried out in compliance with AS-ISO 20252 -

Market, Social and Opinion Research. To reflect the population

distribution, results were post-weighted (on age, gender,

geographic strata and education) and projected to Australian

Bureau of Statistics data. The Australian population aged 16 and

above (the reference population for this survey) is 18,712,000.

CAPABILITY AND RESCUE ANALYSIS

SurfGuard, the Incident Report Database (IRD) and SurfCom

management system (SurfCom) are web-based applications

and part of a suite of applications that enable members,

clubs, branches, state offices and SLSA to enter and access

SLS operational (including rescues and first aids), capability

(including assets and services), educational and administrative

data. Information was extracted from SurfGuard to identify how

many rescues were performed by volunteers, lifeguards and

lifesaving services during 2018-19; and how many active surf

lifesavers and award holders there were during 2018-19. The

data was verified by SLS state/territory entities. Information

about assets and services were gathered from each SLS state/

territory entity.

DROWNING AND FATALITY DATA ANALYSIS

SLSA collects incident data from SurfGuard, the IRD, SurfCom,

the National Coronial Information System (NCIS) and by

monitoring media reports for coastal and ocean incidents.

The information is verified with the assistance of each state/

territory SLS entity and compiled for analysis by SLSA’s Coastal

Safety Department. The following variables are used to match

fatal incidents from more than one data source: incident date;

location; age; gender; and incident description. The NCIS is

considered the ‘gold standard’ when there is a discrepancy

in the detail collected from different data sources. Deaths

are excluded as a coastal drowning if they are reported as

‘intentional deaths’, they are inland locations, or ‘drowning/

immersion’ is not a contributory factor as noted by the coroner.

Coastal incidents that are deemed intentional or not due to

drowning/immersion are logged as coastal fatalities instead.

The authors are responsible for the use made of the data in this

report. More detailed methodology can be found in the 2018

Coastal Safety Brief - Beaches.

DROWNING DATA LIMITATIONS

Over years of investigation as part of the NCIS process, some

cases are amended prior to their closure, resulting in changes

to the classification of cases in our datasets. Therefore, the

number of coastal drowning deaths published in this report

may be different from annual totals previously reported. In

an effort to produce a timely report on our current year’s data

we acknowledge that these figures will change. Each year, the

changes that occur in the previous year’s report will be made

transparent. The data in this current report are not the final

figures as 84% of 2018–19 coastal/ocean drowning deaths and

67% of 2018-19 other fatalities reported remain open cases and

35% of all cases do not yet have a cause of death (COD) listed.

Once NCIS closes a case, SLSA modifies those with unknown

intent and those where the cause of death is not drowning, from

‘coastal drowning’ to ‘coastal fatality’. Bars of two different

colours are used to illustrate the incidents where a COD has not

been listed on NCIS in Figure 43. The incidents are included in

our annual totals and analysis, and they will remain so until a

COD is listed other than drowning/immersion.

CHANGES FROM PREVIOUS REPORTS

As part of the NCIS investigation process, some cases are

amended prior to their closure and have resulted in changes to

our datasets. This year SLSA has commenced a thorough review

of its coastal and ocean fatality database to update all cases to

the same inclusion standards. See Table 1.

R E F E R E N C E


67

Table 1

CHANGES IN THE NUMBER OF COASTAL AND OCEAN DROWNING DEATHS AS PREVIOUSLY REPORTED

SUGGESTED CITATION: Surf Life Saving Australia (2019)

National Coastal Safety Report 2019. SLSA: Sydney.

REFERENCES

• Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2019, Australian Demographic

Statistic Tables, cat. no. 3101.0, accessed 14 August

2019, https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/[email protected]/

DetailsPage/3101.0Dec%202018?OpenDocument#Time

• Australian Water Safety Council (2016). Australian Water Safety

Strategy 2016–20. Australian Water Safety Council: Sydney.

• Newspoll (2009) Surf Safety and Rips Study. Newspoll: Sydney.

• ‘Coastal Safety Brief: Beaches.’ Surf Life Saving Australia:

Sydney. Ryan, A, Rijksen, E, Daw, S (2018).

• SLSA National Coastal Safety Survey (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017,

2018, 2019). Newspoll/Omnipoll Online Omnibus April 2014,

2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019.

• SLSA Annual Reports.

© 2019 SURF LIFE SAVING AUSTRALIA

This publication is copyright. Except as expressly provided in

the Copyright Act 1968 and the Copyright Amendment Act

2006, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in

any retrieval systems or transmitted by any means (including

electronic, mechanical, microcopying, photocopying,

recording or otherwise) without prior permission from Surf Life

Saving Australia.

For enquiries concerning reproduction, contact SLSA on: phone

02 9215 8000; email: [email protected]

Every attempt has been made to trace and acknowledge

copyright, but in some cases this may not have been possible.

Surf Life Saving Australia apologises for any accidental

infringements and would welcome any information to redress

the situation.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

SLSA wishes to thank the following people and organisations for

their contribution to the National Coastal Safety Report 2019:

the Australian Government: Department of Health; National

Coronial Information System: Leanne Daking; Omnipoll: Frederic

Anne; Royal Life Saving Society Australia: Amy Peden & Stacey

Pidgeon; SLS state centres, branches, clubs, support operations

and ALS; SLSA major national corporate partners: DHL , Holden

and Westpac.

This report was compiled by Shane Daw, National Coastal Risk

and Safety Manager, Jasmin Lawes, Researcher, Nicole Cooney,

Project Coordinator - Coastal Safety, Keiran Stone, Lifesaving

Operations Manager and Luke Strasiotto, Lifesaving Officer.

Cover Image: Shane Daw. Design: Melissa Conchar.

2015 NCSR

2016 NCSR

2017 NCSR

2018 NCSR

2019 NCSR

2004–05 89 89 89 89 96

2005–06 95 96 96 95 107

2006–07 98 102 102 102 115

2007–08 89 89 89 89 104

2008–09 89 88 88 85 106

2009–10 85 85 85 80 105

2010–11 69 69 69 69 91

2011–12 113 113 114 114 117

2012–13 118 118 118 118 134

2013–14 83 84 82 80 85

2014–15 102 105 105 108 114

2015–16 130 128 128 136

2016–17 116 119 110

2017-18 110 107

2018-19 122

REFERENCE METHODOLOGY67

CONTACT INFORMATION

SLS receives Government funding to commence valuable

initiatives and programs. However, we rely on the generosity of

the community and corporate support to ensure they continue.

To help Surf Life Saving please donate to:

Surf Life Saving Foundation— slsfoundation.com.au

For more information:

Surf Life Saving Australia—sls.com.au

Surf Life Saving New South Wales—surflifesaving.com.au

Surf Life Saving Northern Territory—lifesavingnt.com.au

Surf Life Saving Queensland—lifesaving.com.au

Surf Life Saving South Australia—surflifesavingsa.com.au

Surf Life Saving Tasmania—slst.asn.au

Life Saving Victoria—lsv.com.au

Surf Life Saving Western Australia—mybeach.com.au

http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/[email protected]/DetailsPage/3101.0Dec%202018?OpenDocument#Time

http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/[email protected]/DetailsPage/3101.0Dec%202018?OpenDocument#Time

mailto:%20info%40slsa.asn.au?subject=

http://slsfoundation.com.au

http://sls.com.au

http://surflifesaving.com.au

http://lifesavingnt.com.au

http://lifesaving.com.au

http://surflifesavingsa.com.au

http://slst.asn.au

http://lsv.com.au

http://mybeach.com.au

D R O W N I N GS N A P S H O T

COASTAL &OCEAN

DROWNINGDEATHS

MALE

FEMALE

23

4413

115

233

35%SWIMMING

14%BOATING &

PWC

7%SNORKELLING

AT LEAST 5KM FROM ALIFESAVING SERVICE

AT THE BEACH ROCK/CLIFF

Location

Activity

OFFSHORE

8%WATERCRAFT

NATIONAL COASTAL SAFETY REPORT 2019 - Surf …...Membership across 314 clubs is almost fifty per cent female, with volunteer surf lifesavers performing more than 10,176 rescues each

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