Is further investment in shark management in New South Wales worthwhile? Surfer views on coastal public health issues.

Objective: To explore the views of surfers on investment in shark management compared to other coastal public health issues.

Methods: We examined the responses of 672 New South Wales (NSW) resident surfers to the Global Surfer Survey, which collected demographic information and asked surfers about which topics they believe additional funding should be devoted to.

Results: Half of surfers in NSW (50%) are worried about sharks while surfing only a very small proportion (16%) are supportive of additional funding for shark detection and management programs, with most being in favour of funding directed at ocean cleanliness (40%) and drowning prevention (29%).

Impact of a surfer rescue training program in Australia and New Zealand: a mixed methods evaluation.

Background: Surfers play a critical role in coastal drowning prevention, conservatively estimated to make as many rescues as beach lifeguards. The Surfer Rescue 24/7 (SR24/7) program is a coastal safety intervention in Australia and New Zealand that teaches surfers safe rescue skills and promotes prevention activities. This multi-part, mixed-methods study aimed to evaluate the impact of the SR24/7 program.

'I actually thought that I was going to die': Lessons on the rip current hazard from survivor experiences.

Background: Rip currents are strong, narrow, fast-flowing currents of water that occur on many beaches and in Australia contributing to 26 drowning deaths and several thousand lifeguard/lifesaver rescues each year. Educating the public about the rip current hazard is a primary focus of beach safety practitioners, but there has been a lack of qualitative research exploring the firsthand experiences of being caught in a rip current to assist in this regard. The aim of this study was to analyse interviews of rip current survivors to understand more about how people react when unintentionally caught in a rip current in order to help guide future public education to mitigate rip current drowning.

Preventing selfie-related incidents: Taking a public health approach to reduce unnecessary burden on emergency medicine services.

Unintentional deaths from selfies have received limited exposure in emergency medicine literature; yet trauma remains the leading cause of death and disability in children and young adults, and most of those implicated in a selfie incident are in this demographic. Selfie-related injuries and deaths may be a relatively new phenomenon, but data suggest they are a public health hazard that is not going away. Emergency medicine practitioners may have a role to play in the primary and secondary prevention of selfie incidents, including delivering opportunistic behaviour change messaging to those who are at risk of being injured or killed in a selfie-related incident, particularly young (14-25 years) males.

The characteristics of drowning among different types of international visitors to Australia and how this contributes to their drowning risk.

Objective: Australia is a popular destination for international visitors. This study reviews international visitor drowning deaths in Australia and analyses drowning by visitor type.

Methods: A total population retrospective study exploring drowning deaths of international visitors was conducted between 2008 and 2018.

Mortality trends and the impact of exposure on Australian coastal drowning deaths, 2004-2021.

Objective: The aim of this study is to characterise Australian coastal drowning trends and evaluate impact of exposure on drowning risk.

Methods: Descriptive epidemiological analysis of unintentional fatal drowning occurring July 2004-June 2021 at Australian coastal sites (beaches, rock platforms, bays, harbours, offshore locations etc.).

Awareness without learning: A preliminary study exploring the effects of beachgoer's experiences on risk taking behaviours.

Most drowning deaths on Australian beaches occur in locations not patrolled by lifeguards. At patrolled locations, where lifeguards supervise flagged areas in which beachgoers are encouraged to swim between, the incidence of drowning is reduced. To date, risk prevention practices on coasts focus on patrolled beaches, deploying warning signs at unpatrolled locations with the aim of raising public awareness of risk.

Lessons learned from co-designing a high school beach safety education program with lifeguards and students.

Issue Addressed: School-based beach safety education programs are common, but best practice guidance and information on their design and development is limited.

Methods: Researchers, professional ocean lifeguards and students participated in a co-design process to inform a lifeguard-delivered, school-based beach safety education program for a coastal community in New South Wales, Australia. Lifeguards and researchers (experts) provided structured feedback about the program in a survey and facilitated workshop; students (n = 26) aged 11 to 13 years participated in focus group sessions intended to garner in-depth understanding of their experiences at the beach and knowledge of, and attitudes towards, beach safety.

Identifying risk factors and implications for beach drowning prevention amongst an Australian multicultural community.

Multicultural communities in Australia are recognised as a priority area for drowning prevention, but no evidence-based study has addressed their knowledge of beach safety. This study used an online survey tool to identify and examine risk factors relating to swimming ability, beach visitation characteristics and behaviour, and beach safety knowledge of the Australian Southern Asian community to assist in the development of future beach safety interventions. Data was obtained through 249 online and in-person surveys of people aged > 18 years.

Understanding a population: A methodology for a population-based coastal safety survey.

Drowning is a global public health problem, but accurately estimating drowning risk remains a challenge. Coastal drowning comprises a significant proportion of the drowning burden in Australia and is influenced by a range of behavioural factors (e.g.

Coastal drowning: A scoping review of burden, risk factors, and prevention strategies.

Objective: Coastal drowning is a global public health problem which requires evidence to support safety initiatives. The growing multidisciplinary body of coastal drowning research and associated prevention countermeasures is diverse and has not been characterised as a whole. The objective of this scoping review was to identify key concepts, findings, evidence and research gaps in the coastal drowning literature to guide future research and inform prevention activities.

Dying to help: Fatal bystander rescues in Australian coastal environments.

Bystanders who drown during a rescue attempt in aquatic waterways are becoming an increasingly important issue within drowning prevention. In the Australian context, the majority of these incidents occur in coastal water ways. This study documents and characterizes bystander rescuer fatalities within Australian coastal waterways that occurred between 1 July 2004 and 30 June 2019 in order to provide suggestions for future public safety interventions involving bystander rescuers.

Who rescues who? Understanding aquatic rescues in Australia using coronial data and a survey.

Objective: To examine fatal drowning associated with aquatic rescues and prior self-reported experience of undertaking an aquatic rescue in Australia.

Methods: Previous aquatic rescue experience was sourced through the 2013 Queensland Computer Assisted Telephone Instrument Survey and compared to data on rescue-related fatal unintentional drowning between 1 January 2006 and 31 December 2015.

Results: Twenty-three per cent (n=294/1291) of survey respondents had previously performed an aquatic rescue.

Characteristics of aquatic rescues undertaken by bystanders in Australia.

An issue of growing importance within the field of drowning prevention is the undertaking of aquatic rescues by bystanders, who sometimes drown in the process. The main objectives of this study were to describe characteristics of bystanders making rescues in different Australian aquatic environments, identify the role of prior water safety training in conducting bystander rescues and provide insights into future public education strategies relating to bystander rescue scenarios. An online survey was disseminated via various social media platforms in 2017 and gathered a total of 243 complete responses.

Rescues conducted by surfers on Australian beaches.

This study describes the demographics, occurrence, location, primary hazards and outcomes involved in rescues performed by surfers on Australian beaches. Conservative estimates suggest that the number of rescues conducted by Australian surfers each year is on par with the number conducted by volunteer surf lifesavers. Surfers perform a considerable number of serious rescues in both lifesaver/lifeguard patrolled (45%) and unpatrolled (53%) beach locations.