BACKGROUND

The Problem

Almost 70% of Australians live in the coastal zone and our beaches are a key attraction for both domestic and overseas tourists. Our beaches are an integral part of the Australian lifestyle and tourism economy and it is therefore of major concern that our beaches are also a source of many preventable deaths and injuries. According to Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) statistics, an average of 60 people drown on Australian beaches each year and a further 12,000 are rescued from the surf. Last year 82 people drowned in the surf around Australia illustrating that existing surf education is not working

Are Beaches Dangerous?

Why do these drownings and rescues occur? Australian beaches are patrolled by both professional lifeguards and volunteer lifesavers and the “swim between the flags” campaign has proven to be successful. However, around 80% of people report that they swim outside the flags at some time. More importantly, 90% of our 10,000 beaches are unpatrolled and, outside of plain luck, the surest safety measure on these beaches is individual knowledge of surf conditions. Beach flags and beach signage are the first step to ensuring a safe visit to the beach, but unless you are familiar with the flags system, or actually walk by and read the signs, your safety is dependant on what you understand about how beaches and the surf work.

Do You Understand the Surf?

Do you know what a rip current is? Do you know why they form, where they form and how to spot them? Many drownings and 90% of rescues are caused by rip currents, yet the typical beach user has no idea what a rip is and at any given time it is estimated that 17,000 rips exist on Australian beaches. Rips are NOT rip tides or undertow, but are strong, narrow, seaward flowing currents that extend from the shoreline offshore through the surf zone and beyond. They sit in channels and are a mechanism for getting water brought to shore by breaking waves back out to sea. It is vital that everyone visiting a beach understands how rip currents work.

Aims of SOS

The Science of the Surf Program (SOS) is an educational program aimed at providing a basic understanding of the scientific principles of beaches and surf zones to the Australian and international community. The philosophy of the program is that the only way to make a truly informed decision on whether it is safe to swim or not on any beach in Australia is to have an understanding of the way our beaches work. Surf science is not rocket science and SOS aims to reach out to coastal and rural communities, families, school children, and international visitors to provide this knowledge.

Science of the Surf Seminars

The Science of the Surf was initiated as a series of community seminars conducted at Tamarama Beach in Sydney in 2001/2002 by Dr Rob Brander of the University of New South Wales. Rob is a coastal geomorphologist with expertise in rip currents and is also a member of the Tamarama Surf Life Saving Club. After questioning people rescued in rip currents, most answered that they didn't know they were in a rip, nor did they know what a rip current was! This disturbing trend was the prime motivation for the seminars and they have been held each summer since 2001 and have attracted over 2000 people in attendance.

Each seminar began with a release of dye in the surf to dramatically illustrate rip current location and speed. This was followed by a powerful visual slide presentation and scientific discourse on wave formation, types of waves, wave breaking, currents, sandbars, and the types of beaches that exist not only in Australia, but globally. Major beach hazards such as dangerous wave breaks, rip currents, and potentially dangerous beach activities such as bodysurfing, rock fishing, diving into shallow water were discussed and explained. Furthermore, common myths concerning the surf were identified and appropriate responses to various hazards outlined.

In order to reach out to larger audiences, in late 2006 the Science of the Surf attained certification from the New South Wales Department of Education’s Performing Arts Unit to become a registered School Performance and the seminar is now available to school kids throughout NSW.

Coastal Impacts of Climate Change

Following a successful series of community talks on the NSW North Coast and participant feedback, SOS now offers seminars relating to the impacts of climate change on our coasts. The aim of these presentations is to provide an improved understanding and awareness of how our coastal systems will respond to rising sea-level, increasing frequency and magnitude of storms, as well as an overview of coastal management options available to address coastal erosion. These seminars are primarily designed for coastal communities and high schools.

What Needs to Be Done - Get Involved!

The ultimate goal of the Science of the Surf is to reduce the number of drownings in Australia. At present, an average of 60 people drown each year and this has not changed in 10 years so it is obvious that existing surf education is not working. The actual number of drownings should be closer to 0! Achieving this goal is not as hard as it seems. What should be done? Here’s a simple list for a start:

Surf science and safety education should be mandatory for all school children in Australia
Existing surf safety curriculum aids are not very good and often contain incorrect information. Materials such as posters and dvd’s which focus on visual information need to be developed and distributed widely
Visual and informative videos (in different languages) of surf safety tips should be shown in all airlines entering Australia. An hour out of arrival, all in-flight entertainment should be stopped and everyone made to watch these videos! Existing surf safety information on airlines is mediocre and effectively useless.
0.5-1 page of every in-flight magazine should be devoted to surf safety tips including a diagram/photo of rip current indicating how to recognise and get out of one
Every international tourist entering Australia should be presented with a surf safety pamphlet at Customs
All hotels, motels, resorts, caravan parks, and backpackers should have surf safety information, particularly on rip currents, on display.

What you can do to help!
Based on feedback from students, teachers and the general public, it is clear that everyone wants to reduce drownings, but are frustrated by the lack of information available. What you can do is:

Contact your children’s school and let them know that the Science of the Surf is out there!
Contact your local council and tell them that the community needs this information and that the local government should subsidise it, not parents, schools and kids.
Contact your local media and ask why so many people are drowning and refer to the tips above on what can be done! Ask them why so much attention is paid to shark attacks which kill 1-2 people a year in Australia when 60 people drown in our surf and we don’t hear about it.
Use your contacts with schools, politicians, airlines, media and spread the importance of surf education.
Contact the SOS through the website with any ideas and suggestions.

No-one should drown in Australia and it’s time proactive steps were taken by the government and airlines to provide funding to develop the necessary surf education which will ensure this goal.