Drownings increase by 33 per cent

A LOCAL lifesaving club president is urging beachgoers to remain vigilant, as the Surf Coast and Barwon region prepares for a bumper summer period on its beaches amid the release of the state’s latest drowning report.

Life Saving Victoria (LSV) released its annual drowning figures for 2022-23 last week, which showed an increase in deaths around waterways.

The report stated between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023, 59 lives were lost in total to drowning, a 33 per cent increase on the decade average.

A further 122 people narrowly survived a drowning incident requiring paramedic assistance.

LSV manager of Research and Evaluation, Dr Hannah Calverley, said while drowning figures around home environments increased, eight people died as a result of weather events, the largest amount LSV has seen on record in a year.

“Despite working hard to relay the water safety message, the reality is that 59 lives were lost to drowning this year and that’s too many people who will be missed by loved ones,” Dr Calverley said.

“My heart goes out to everyone affected.

“We saw a spike in the number of fatalities around the home environments, including bathtubs, backyard pools, dams, and ponds, showing that we can never relax our vigilance on water safety no matter where we are.

“This year we saw eight fatal drownings as a result of extreme weather events.

“That’s the highest we’ve seen on record, and with more expected events ahead of us we’re urging Victorians to be vigilant when seeking a waterway to cool off.”

Fairhaven SLSC president Nancy Joseph reiterated the important work the region’s volunteer lifesavers do during patrol season.

The club alone conducted 6,700 preventative actions and 14 rescues over the past year.

“We always look forward to welcoming people back to the region,” Ms Joseph said.

“This year particularly though we need people to be extra vigilant in terms of keeping an eye on the fire danger risks too.

“We haven’t had a fire danger warning for three years now, so I think we have a combined risk that people coming down the coast need to be aware of.

“The beauty of the Surf Coast clubs is we work together every year, while the Bellarine clubs conduct themselves independently, clubs from Torquay down to Apollo Bay are in constant communication with one another.”

To view the latest drowning report, head to lsv.com.au