Lifesaving season begins

THE red and yellow flags have been raised at 57 patrolled beaches across Victoria as full lifesaving patrols returned on Saturday for the 2017/18 summer season.

Thousands of volunteer lifesavers will be keeping watch on beachgoers at our coastal beaches as of last weekend, joining the bay beaches, which have had patrols since mid-November.

Last season, volunteer lifesavers and lifeguards performed 519 rescues, attended 1,655 first aid incidents and helped keep more than 2.4 million visitors to Victorian beaches safe.

Life Saving Victoria lifesaving operations manager Greg Scott said he expected another busy summer on our beaches, with the Bureau of Meteorology forecasting daytime temperatures warmer than average across the state over summer.

“We urge all beachgoers to assist our lifesavers by swimming between the red and yellow flags on patrolled beaches. If our lifesavers can’t see you, they can’t save you.

“It’s so important that people realise just how dangerous beaches can be – even when the weather is nice, so always check the weather reports before heading out on the water and check the VicEmergency website or app for real-time warnings and beach safety information.”

He said it was important to know how to identify and avoid rip currents as they could occur at all beaches, even in bays.

Beachgoers are also advised to check weather conditions, read safety signs and assess whether activities are appropriate given the conditions.

Volunteer lifesavers provide patrols on weekends and most public holidays over the summer season.

Additional services are provided at unpatrolled locations and midweek by employed lifeguards during the peak summer period.

For information about patrolled beach locations and times, head to beachsafe.org.au.