Settlement Guide: staying water-safe in Australia

CC BY SA 4.0

CC BY SA 4.0 Source: CC BY SA 4.0

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While it's essential to be informed about the beach or inland waterways, it's just as important to know about pool safety.


In the past decade almost one thousand drowning fatalities have been recorded.

On Queensland's beaches, nearly half of all drowning deaths are migrants or international visitors.

Royal Life Saving Society Australia have identified those from Chinese, Indian, South Korean and Malaysian backgrounds at risk of dying from drowning.

Australia has over 11,000 beaches but only four per cent are patrolled. People who are not confident swimmers should only go where lifeguards are on duty.

Rip currents remain a major threat.

More people die from being caught in a rip than those attacked by sharks - with rips claiming 21 lives per year on average.

Swimmers can avoid rip currents by only swimming in patrolled areas.

Rock fishing is widely regarded as the most dangerous sport in Australia.

A study by the Royal Life Saving Society (RLSSA) NSW Branch found there was an average of 17 drowning related recreational fishing fatalities per year over the period 1 July 2000 to 30 June 2007.

In NSW, rock fishers of Asian backgrounds represented 59 per cent of all rock fishing related death during the same period.

It only takes a few seconds for a rock fisher to be swept out to sea.

Prior to drowning, there is also the danger of being smashed against rocks.

Rock fishers should not be deceived by seemingly calm waves.

While it's essential to be informed about the beach or inland waterways, it's just as important to know about pool safety.

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