While Australia has a strong culture of life guarding and water safety at beaches and pools, some experts say there's a lack of awareness of the dangers at inland swim spots.
While Australia has a strong culture of life-guarding at beaches and pools, groups like Life Saving Victoria are calling for similar measures at popular inland waterways.
For more than four decades, he has been involved in about 50 rescues to find the bodies of people who have fatally drowned.Supplied"I'm 71 now and I can't remember what I did yesterday, but I can recall every drowning like it was yesterday and it's just so heartbreaking." But, unfortunately, that culture does not currently exist along river, lakes and other inland waterways, he says.
"We've never had a drowning between the red and yellow flags so we know that the model that is applied across Victorian beaches works."Amy Peden says the hazards at inland waters can be more hidden than beaches.Amy Peden, a senior research fellow at the School of Population Health at UNSW, says there is an underestimation of the risks at lakes and rivers because the hazards are quite hidden and not as easy to see as breaking waves at the ocean.
They're also taught how to get out of a current if they're struggling or being swept away and how to acknowledge someone who needs help.Life Saving Victoria has recommended establishing lifesaving patrols at inland swimming locations. The Bush Nippers in Echuca are learning water safety skills around inland waterways like the Murray River.He says this would be done through professional or volunteer lifeguards, rescue equipment, first aid and designated swim zones.
Lifesaving Lifeguards Beach Patrols Water Safety Lakes Rivers Inland Waterways Beaches Rescue Divers Bush Nippers
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