Report “sobering” for clubs

Of the 281 deaths, 16 (6 per cent) were under the age of five, which is down by a third (33 per cent) on the 10-year average.

More than half the deaths (160, or 57 per cent) were adults aged 45 and older.

Most of the drownings (125, or 44 per cent) occurred in coastal environments, with 60 per cent at beaches, 26 per cent in the ocean or harbours, and 14 per deaths off rocks.

Inland waterways were the location for 37 per cent of deaths, and another 10 per cent of deaths were in swimming pools.

According to the National Drowning Report, there were 75 drowning deaths at beaches in 2022-23 – a 29 per cent increase on the 10-year average.

The person most likely to drown at a beach was a male (82 per cent), swimming in summer (52 per cent) more than a kilometre from a surf lifesaving club (55 per cent) and caught in a rip (37 per cent).

Torquay SLSC president Julian Sweeney said his club did not record a drowning death over the past financial year, but the report’s release was a “sobering time for all clubs”.

“The Torquay SLSC would like to pass on their respects to all victims and their families that are listed as a statistic.

“Statistics don’t reflect the love and relationships that are lost each year.”

He said his club educated all age groups, from Nippers under the age of 6 to one of the club’s newest members in his 60s.

“We do everything we do to upskill and teach every person who joins our club basic lifesaving skills, but lifesaving skills aren’t just for saving the lives of other people, they’re for saving their own life.”

Mr Sweeney said risk assessment was probably the most important thing Torquay SLSC taught its members.

“We can’t stop people from drowning everywhere, every day – we’d love to, as lifesavers – but the basic skills we put into our people allows them to potentially help those poor people who don’t understand the risk or the situation they’re putting themselves into.”

He said some drowning deaths were very hard if not impossible to prevent.

“People have heart attacks – we’ve had surfers drown at Bells Beach over the past 10 years who have had heart attacks not because of their age or their condition or the position they’re putting themselves in, but just because of bad luck.

“Not everyone that goes in the water dies because they’re silly.”

He said Torquay surf beach was a complicated environment to patrol because of the wide range of skills among beachgoers.

“We’ve gor a really multicultural society living not only in Torquay but in Torquay and surrounds now, and there are a lot of people who come down to the beach who culturally don’t understand the significance of going in the ocean.”

Mr Sweeney said Torquay SLSC was in a strong position ahead of patrols starting on November 11 but was keen to secure more sponsors to support its efforts.