9 October 2009: Australian men are nearly nine times more likely to drown at the beach than women according to the just released Surf Life Saving Australia National Coastal Safety Report. And it is young men who are most at risk with those aged between 30 and 39 recording the highest number of deaths (overall, men accounted for 88% of coastal drowning deaths in Australia).

For a full copy of the 2009 National Coastal Safety report click here.

“Men just never seem to learn when it comes to surf safety,” commented Matt Thompson of Surf Life Saving Australia. “Arrogance, bravado and an inflated sense of their surf swimming ability are a lethal combination and the statistics speak for themselves. Men need to learn the limits of their ability,” Mr Thompson said.

“We have a goal of reducing drowning deaths by half by 2020 which is ambitious but, we believe, achievable. Clearly, men are one of the main targets and we hope these figures will shock them in to changing their behaviour at the beach. Safely negotiating rips is a major area that we hope to educate the public in and you will see this throughout the summer.”

Among the other key findings, the report found that;
• There was a total of 94 coastal drowning deaths in 2008/09 – this is an increase of six on the previous year and higher than the five year average of 87
• 23,075 rescues in total were carried out, 1,322,212 preventions occurred, first aid was administered on 69,013 occasions and there were 87 resuscitations
• 44% of those who drowned lived less than 10km from the coastline and 36% drowned less than 10km from their place of residence
• Four drowning deaths were confirmed as being international tourists
• There were 24 non-drowning deaths (many involving heart complications or accidents)
• There were 20 reported shark related incidents of which one was fatal. This is in line with past years however NSW accounted for 17 of these – a 140% rise on the previous year
• There was not a single drowning death recorded of people swimming between the red and yellow flags

For the first time the report features data from local government lifesaving services which indicates that lifesaving activity around the coastline has been significantly under-reported in the past. Whereas the number of rescues previously reported in the National Coastal Safety Report has tended to fluctuate between 10,000 and 13,000 annually, the inclusion of local government data suggests that the 2008-09 figure was more than 23,000.

“Surf Life Saving Australia continues to grow both in terms of its member numbers and also the range of services it provides to the community, and the figures from the report demonstrate the vital role that the organisation plays in keeping our beaches and coast safe for all visitors. The number of deaths that occur on our beaches is still too high, particularly among males, although we hope that this report and the campaigns we will roll out over summer will go some way to changing attitudes of men,” concludes Mr Thompson.

With the summer season fast approaching, Surf Life Saving Australia is now actively seeking to recruit new surf lifesavers to its fold. Swim-fit Australians aged 15 and over who are interested in training for their Bronze Medallion (the qualification needed to become a surf lifesaver) are advised to contact their local surf club or visit www.slsa.com.au for more information.

For further information: SLSA on 02 9300 4000