Beach Safe
You, Australia and the beach.
You’ve arrived in Australia, the sun is shining and you can’t wait to go to the beach. It’s time to relax, get a tan and have a swim in the ocean. Sounds amazing, right? Australian beaches are fun places to hang out and enjoy the warm weather, but before you hit the surf, there are some dangers you need to be aware of. Each year, more and more people are getting into trouble in our waters and it’s important that you educate yourself about water safety and how to stay safe at the beach.
What you need to know
The beach can be unfamiliar territory for international students and other newcomers to Australia. If you don’t live near the beach, or you aren’t a regular beach-goer, you might be taking risks without realising it. Big waves, unfamiliar tidal conditions and sudden changes in water depth are all potential dangers. Rips are particularly dangerous and account for a very high percentage of the preventable rescues performed by Australian life savers.
So, what is a rip?
A rip is a strong and localised current, close to the surface of the water that can carry swimmers away from the shore and out to sea. Rips appear as ‘calm water’ within breaking waves and can often be mistaken for ‘safe’ places to swim. Here’s what you need to look out for: .
What about the flags?
While it’s important to be able to spot a rip, it’s also important to understand the signs and flags you’ll see at the beach. Take a look at the image below so you know what they mean:
Source: Surf Life Saving Queensland
As you can see, the red and yellow flags represent a safe place to swim. To avoid getting into trouble in the water, make sure you ALWAYS swim between those flags. If there are no flags at the beach, it’s not worth taking the risk! It’s also a good idea to swim with a friend – never swim or surf alone
Some statistics
There were 81 beach-related coastal drowning deaths recorded in Queensland during the 10 years to 30 June 2016 (Surf Life Saving Queensland, Coast Safe Report 2016). Of these deaths, 42% were international tourists, migrants, refugees or other people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
Educate yourself
Surf Life Saving Queensland (lifesaving.com.au) offers a printable factsheet with everything you need to know about staying safe at the beach. It’s offered in 32 different languages including Chinese, Japanese and Spanish.
Surf Life Saving Australia distributes water safety messages in more than 27 different languages to organisers of multicultural festivals and events, hotels and information centres throughout Queensland. You can also access it online via the Beachsafe portal.
Surf Life Saving Australia also provides a free mobile app for iPhone and Android devices called Beachsafe. Available in 72 languages, the app helps you find nearby beaches, check if a beach is patrolled by surf lifesavers and access real-time beach safety information for over 12,000 Australian beaches .
Take some swimming lessons before you go to the beach
Knowing how to swim is an excellent skill to have, especially if you’re going to be spending a lot of time at the beach. Contact your school for information on swimming lessons available in your area or visit Austswim to locate a centre near you.
