Surf Life Saving NSW 2020 Coastal Safety Report

COA S TAL SAFE T Y RE POR T 2020 S U R F L I FE S AV I N G N E W S O U T H WA L E S

DROWNING S N A P S H OT

49

88% 12%

COA S TA L A ND OCE A N DROWNIN G DE ATH S

M A LE

FE M A LE

NB: Arrow indicates the direction of change from last year's statistic

LOC ATION

45%

22%

AT THE B E ACH

ROCK/CLIFF

27%

AT LE A S T 5K M FROM A S URF LIFE SAVING S E RVI CE

35%

OFFS HORE

AC TIVIT Y

31% BOATIN G

22%

SURF LIFE SAVING NEW SOUTH WALES

16%

S WIM M IN G

02

COASTAL SAFET Y REPORT 2020

ROCK FI S HIN G

CONTENTS

06

S EC TION ONE: COM MUNIT Y

S EC TION THRE E: DROWNING A N A LYS IS

32

N S W P O PU L AT I O N

08

COA S TA L PA RT I CIPAT I O N

09

AC T I V I T Y PA RT I CIPAT I O N

10

AC T I V I T Y V I S I TAT I O N

13

S WI M M IN G A B IL I T Y

14

COA S TA L S A FE T Y

15

F E AT U R E: COA S TA L I N S I G HT S: S A F E R COA S T S FO R TH E F U T U R E

F E AT U R E: B OATI N G A N D RO C K F I S H I N G D ROWN I N G D E ATH S 4 0

18

U NIN T EN T I O N A L COA S TA L FATA L I T IE S: 16 -Y E A R RE V IE W

42

D ROWNIN G D E AT H S VS .

U NIN T EN T I O N A L COA S TA L FATA L I T IE S

44

D ROWNIN G S N A P S H OT

46

U NIN T EN T I O N A L COA S TA L FATA L I T IE S S N A P S H OT

47

G LOS S A RY

48

REFEREN CE S

50

S EC TION T WO: C A PA B ILIT Y

20 22

C A PA B IL I T Y S U RF L IFE S AV IN G CLU B S A ND AUS T R A L I A N L IFEG UA RD S ERV I CE

23

M EM B ER S HIP C A PACI T Y

24

A S S E T C A PA B IL I T Y

25

S U RF EM ERG EN C Y RE S P O N S E S YS T EM

26

RE S CU E S

27

FIR S T A IDS

28

PRE V EN TAT I V E AC T I O N S

29

F E AT U R E: AU S TR A LI A N UAV S E RV I C E 30

SURF LIFE SAVING NEW SOUTH WALES

03

N S W D ROWNIN G A ND FATA L I T Y OV ERV IE W

34

N S W D ROWNIN G OV ERV IE W: 2019/20

36

N S W D ROWNIN G OV ERV IE W: 16 -Y E A R RE V IE W

38

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

On behalf of the Board of Surf Life Saving NSW, it is a pleasure to present the SLSNSW Coastal Safety Report 2020.

The 2019/20 season was like no other, with devastating bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic impacting the use of beaches throughout New South Wales and the wider community in general.

The patrol season ended four weeks early as social distancing measures were implemented to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Despite this, more than 10 million visitations were recorded on beaches in New South Wales in the 12 months from 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2020. Surf lifesavers and lifeguards rescued 3,178 people, treated 11,954 people for injuries or medical complaints, and performed 749,255 preventative actions. In addition, the Surf Emergency Response System (SERS) responded to 599 activations, which resulted in 219 lives being saved.

Tragically, we saw an increase in coastal and ocean drowning deaths during the 2019/20 season. A total of 49 lives were lost; this represents a 14 percent increase on last year’s figure and is above the 16-year average of 42. This year also saw a considerable spike in incidents involving people who were boating, with these fatalities comprising 31 percent of all coastal and ocean drowning deaths. These tragedies highlight the need for boaters to check the conditions and always wear a correctly fitted lifejacket.

Research into coastal and ocean drowning deaths continues to be a key focus for Surf Life Saving NSW to understand where, when, and why tragic incidents occur.

This is being further enhanced by the commencement of a statewide coastal risk assessment project, known as Coastal insights: safer coasts for the future, which is due to be delivered by June 2023. This evidence-based project investigates the use of beaches, shore platforms, and coastal waterways and explores what we can learn from the tragedies that have occurred.

This project will enable Surf Life Saving NSW, in partnership with Local Government Areas, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and other water safety stakeholders, to develop and target safety interventions and other preventative measures where and when they are most needed to reduce the risk of incidents in the future.

The drowning statistics also reinforce the need for us to push surf safety messages throughout our communities. While our surf lifesaving and lifeguarding services continue to be the cornerstone of our service delivery across NSW, we also continue to invest in and develop our community education programs.

This year, the COVID-19 pandemic expedited our push to provide online learning opportunities for members of the public.

Furthermore, the Australian UAV Service continues to grow, and we are always seeking to adapt and utilise new and emerging technologies to assist us in managing the safety of the public.

As a gazetted emergency service organisation under the NSW State Emergency Service and Rescue Management Act, Surf Life Saving NSW also demonstrated its broader value to the community during the bushfire emergency.

Many Surf Life Saving Clubs became evacuation and welfare centres for community protection and response. This highlighted the skills, values, and strengths of our membership and we are extremely proud of the way they stood up to assist their local communities in their time of need.

We are confident that our unique position within the emergency services sector will continue to be recognised and utilised. Our capacity has recently been enhanced by the opening of our upgraded State Operations Centre.

Our primary focus is, and will always remain, the supervision, surveillance, and protection of our community as they enjoy our coastline. The statistics in this report show that many people continue to enjoy a multitude of recreational activities along our beautiful coastline, but every life lost is one too many.

We believe that this edition of the SLSNSW Coastal Safety Report will prove to be a valuable resource for our members, government, water safety organisations, emergency services, researchers, partners, sponsors, community groups, and media. It aims to inform them of the recent trends in fatal incidents in NSW, and the safety interventions and other preventative measures being undertaken by Surf Life Saving NSW. I commend this report to you as a vital tool to help us all understand and reduce drowning deaths along the NSW coastline.

Joel Wiseman SLSNSW Director of Lifesaving

COMMUNIT Y SECTION ONE

4.7M

3.8M

3.3M

NSW adults visited the coast in 2019/20

NSW coastal activity participants

Swimming/wading participants in NSW

N E W S O U T H W A L E S P O P U L AT I O N

Figure 1

NEW SOUTH WALES POPULATION DENSITY PER LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA (LGA) This map shows the estimated New South Wales population density per LGA at June 2020. Most LGAs with a population density higher than 100 persons per square kilometre are located on the coastal fringe.

Sydney Canberra

Key - persons/km² 100.0 – more 10.0 – 100.0 1.0 – 10.0 0.1 – 1.0 Less than 0.1

0

200km SCALE

SURF LIFE SAVING NEW SOUTH WALES

08

COASTAL SAFET Y REPORT 2020

C O A S TA L P A R T I C I P AT I O N

2020

2.8

2.2

3.8M

VISITS/MONTH

4.7M

HOURS/ VISIT

COASTAL ACTIVITY PARTICIPANTS

NSW ADULTS VISITED THE COAST IN 2019/20

COASTAL PARTICIPATION SUMMARY

C

PW

Swim Wad ming/ ing

Australians love the coast. To better understand how the coast is used, the annual National Coastal Safety Survey (NCSS) explores coastal participation and behaviours. In the last year, there were 4.7 million adult New South Wales residents who visited the coast, on average 2.8 times each month. This equates to over 150 million individual adult visitations to the coast last year. There were 3.8 million coastal activity participants, with swimming and wading the most popular activity (53%), followed by boating (14%), land-based fishing (12%), and snorkelling (11%).

53%

2% Scu

ba

Div

Bo

14%

2%

hing

Rock Fis

ng

ati

ing

4%

12%

9%

ing ell rk

W ate

11% o Sn

rcr aft

6%

Land−bas ed Fishing

Surfing

5+ times per week 1−4 times per week 1−3 times per month 3−11 times per year Less often

Figure 2

NCSS2020: COASTAL VISITATION BY ACTIVITY Question posed to survey participants: Which of the following coastal activities have you participated in during the past 12 months and how often do you participate in these activities? NB: Data has been transformed for visualisation.

SECTION ONE

09

COMMUNIT Y

A C T I V I T Y P A R T I C I P AT I O N N C S S 2 02 0 PA R T I C I PAT I O N BY F R E Q U E N C Y A N D E X PE R T I S E

Coastal participation differs by activity, frequency and expertise. These pages explore the proportion of the New South Wales population that participates in each activity, how many hours are spent annually by frequent and occasional activity participants, and the self-reported expertise of New South Wales participants.

EXPERTISE

FREQUENCY

PARTICIPATION

SWIMMING/WADING

ROCK FISHING

4%

53% 39% 61% FREQUENT

OCCASIONAL

TOTAL 3.2M FREQUENT 1.2M 15%

22%

3%

59%

FREQUENT

OCCASIONAL

TOTAL 0.3M FREQUENT 0.1M

Advanced Intermediate Beginner Can’t say

33% 67% FREQUENT

Advanced Intermediate Beginner Can’t say

SURF LIFE SAVING NEW SOUTH WALES

10

24%

55%

60% ROCK FISHERS CONSIDER ROCK FISHING EXTREMELY OR VERY HAZARDOUS

OCCASIONAL

TOTAL 0.7M FREQUENT 0.2M

21%

28%

46%

52%

12%

44% 56%

27%

SWIMMERS/WADERS ALWAYS LOOK FOR RIPS BEFORE ENTERING THE WATER

LAND-BASED FISHING

Advanced Intermediate Beginner Can’t say

24% LAND-BASED FISHERS CONSIDER THEMSELVES ADVANCED FISHERS

COASTAL SAFET Y REPORT 2020

FREQUENCY

PARTICIPATION

BOATING

14% 27% 73% FREQUENT

OCCASIONAL

TOTAL 0.9M FREQUENT 0.2M

EXPERTISE

15% 29%

9%

2% 42% 58% FREQUENT

OCCASIONAL

TOTAL 0.1M FREQUENT 58K 23%

3%

Advanced Intermediate Beginner Can’t say

64% BOATERS ENSURE ALL PASSENGERS WEAR A LIFEJACKET

Advanced Intermediate Beginner Can’t say

37%

30% PWC USERS BELIEVE THEY ARE EXPERIENCED ENOUGH TO TAKE SOME RISKS

SECTION ONE

11

42% 58% FREQUENT

COMMUNIT Y

OCCASIONAL

TOTAL 0.6M FREQUENT 0.2M

33%

40%

53%

SURFING

PWC

21%

46%

Advanced Intermediate Beginner Can’t say

54% SURFERS CONSIDER SURFING 'SOMEWHAT HAZARDOUS'

A C T I V I T Y P A R T I C I P AT I O N N C S S 2 02 0 PA R T I C I PAT I O N BY F R E Q U E N C Y A N D E X PE R T I S E

FREQUENCY

PARTICIPATION

SNORKELLING

11% 18% 82% FREQUENT

OCCASIONAL

TOTAL 0.7M FREQUENT 0.1M

EXPERTISE

2% 26% 74% FREQUENT

32% 68% FREQUENT

OCCASIONAL

TOTAL 0.2M FREQUENT 40K

27%

1%

OCCASIONAL

TOTAL 0.3M FREQUENT 0.1M

24%

23% 27%

47%

Advanced Intermediate Beginner Can’t say

50%

34% CONSIDER SNORKELLING NOT VERY HAZARDOUS

6%

8%

19% 33%

WATERCRAFT

SCUBA DIVING

Advanced Intermediate Beginner Can’t say

42%

18%

38%

SCUBA DIVERS DIVE AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH

SURF LIFE SAVING NEW SOUTH WALES

12

Advanced Intermediate Beginner Can’t say

WATERCRAFT USERS BELIEVE THEY ARE EXPERIENCED ENOUGH TO TAKE SOME RISKS

COASTAL SAFET Y REPORT 2020

A C T I V I T Y V I S I TAT I O N PA R T I C I PAT I O N F R E Q U E N C Y

Less than 10km 13%

23%

13%

26%

7%

6%

7%

5%

10-25km 1% 2%

7%

35%

24%

20%

8%

3%

Never Less often 1-2 times/year 3-11 times/year 1-3 times/month 1-2 times/week 3-6 times/week Everyday

26-50km 5%

2%

23%

16%

20%

30%

3%

Over 50km 7%

1%

0%

25%

29%

20%

40%

28%

60%

80%

10%

100%

Figure 3

NCSS2020: FREQUENCY OF VISITS BY DISTANCE FROM THE COAST People who live near the coast visit the coast more frequently than those who live further away. Forty-nine percent of people who live less than ten kilometres from the coast visit at least once a week, while only one percent of those who live more than fifty kilometres away visit as frequently.

8 Total visits Average visits

Number (n)

6

4

THOSE WHO LIVE CLOSER TO THE COAST WILL ON AVERAGE VISIT THE COAST MORE OFTEN

2

0

Less than 10km

10 to 25 km

Over 25km

Average

Figure 4

NCSS2020: AVERAGE NUMBER OF MONTHLY VISITS TO THE COAST BY DISTANCE FROM THE COAST On average, people who live within ten kilometres of the coast visit the coast significantly more than those who live further away.

SECTION ONE

13

COMMUNIT Y

SWIMMING ABILITY C O N F I D E N C E I N C OA S TA L E N V I R O N M E N T S

40%

Ocean Overall

WEAK AND NONSWIMMERS RATE THEIR OCEAN SWIMMING ABILITY HIGHER THAN THEIR OVERALL SWIMMING ABILITY

35% 30%

Percentage

25% 20%

Yes No/can’t say 100%

Can’t say

80%

Never

60% 5+ years ago

15%

40% 2-5 years ago

10% 20%

Last year

5% In 2020

0%

Ocean

0% Unable to swim

Weak swimmer

Average swimmer

Competent swimmer

Highly competent swimmer

Overall

Can't say

Last time swam 50m or more in the ocean

Figure 5

Figure 6

NCSS2020: ABILITY TO SWIM IN THE OCEAN COMPARED TO OVERALL SWIMMING ABILITY

NCSS2020: ABILITY TO SWIM 50M IN THE OCEAN OR OTHER ENVIRONMENT WITHOUT STOPPING OR TOUCHING THE BOTTOM; LAST TIME SURVEY PARTICIPANTS SWAM 50M OR MORE IN THE OCEAN

Swimming ability in the ocean is rated lower than overall swimming ability for average, competent and highly competent swimmers, but higher for weak and non-swimmers.

Cannot float or swim

6%

Can float 1 min and swim a little

27%

Can float and gentle swim 15 mins

29%

Can float and gentle swim 30 mins

16%

Can float and gentle swim 60 mins

12%

Can swim over 60 mins, float for as long as I wish

5%

Can't say

6% 0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

Figure 7

NCSS2020: UNAIDED SWIMMING ABILITY IN COASTAL AREAS Thirty-three percent of people say they cannot swim or float, or can only swim or float comfortably for 1 minute.

SURF LIFE SAVING NEW SOUTH WALES

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COASTAL SAFET Y REPORT 2020

25%

30%

C O A S TA L S A F E T Y H A Z A R D PE R C E P T I O N

Rip Currents

84%

Tropical marine stinger creatures, such as the Box Jellyfish or Irukandji

69%

Rocks/Rocky platform

67%

Sharks

65%

Sun exposure

64%

Crocodiles

61%

Other marine stinger creatures such as Bluebottles

60%

Waves

42%

Figure 8

NCSS2020: COASTAL HAZARDS RATED EXTREMELY OR VERY HAZARDOUS Rip currents remain the coastal hazard rated the most hazardous by residents of New South Wales.

71%

Lifeguards/surf lifesavers 38%

Coast guards

36%

Coastalwatch

35%

Bureau of Meteorology 26%

Weatherzone

22%

Local council

19%

State government maritime agency

17%

Marine rescue organisation

Beachsafe

16%

13%

Activity Clubs/Schools

3%

Swellnet

9%

Can't say

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Figure 9

NCSS2020: WHICH AUTHORITY WOULD YOU TURN TO FOR COASTAL SAFETY INFORMATION? Lifeguards and surf lifesavers are the most relied upon source for coastal safety information.

SECTION ONE

15

COMMUNIT Y

70%

80%

90

C O A S TA L S A F E T Y S TAY I N G S A F E A N D TA K I N G R I S K S

2%

100% 8%

7%

4%

20%

16%

2%

3%

2%

5%

8% 80%

4%

4% 4%

5%

1%

5% 5%

13%

17%

13%

22% 29%

32%

13%

26%

60%

46%

54% 40%

51%

34% 49%

45%

20%

20% 2%

2%

4%

0% Swimming

51%

27%

24% 11%

51%

54%

43%

Wading

5%

23%

23%

26%

12%

4%

5%

Surfing

Watercraft

Rock fishing

12%

1%

5% Land-based fishing

Boating

23% 2%

7%

7%

7%

PWC

Snorkelling

Scuba Diving

Figure 10

NCSS2020: HAZARD PERCEPTION OF COASTAL ACTIVITIES Respondents were asked how hazardous they considered each coastal activity.

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

Rock fishing

Land-based fishing

Swimming/ wading

Surfing

Scuba diving

Boating

Snorkelling

Watercraft

PWC

Figure 11

NCSS2020: PARTICIPANTS WHO BELIEVE THEY ARE EXPERIENCED ENOUGH TO TAKE SOME RISKS IN THEIR COASTAL ACTIVITY Many rock fishers and land-based fishers consider themselves experienced enough to take some risks.

SURF LIFE SAVING NEW SOUTH WALES

16

COASTAL SAFET Y REPORT 2020

1%

Can’t say Not at all hazardous Not very hazardous Somewhat hazardous Very hazardous Extremely hazardous

Swimming/Wading Surfing Watercraft Rock Fishing Land-based Fishing Boating None/0 alcoholic drinks 1 or 2 alcoholic drinks 3 or 4 alcoholic drinks 5 or more alcoholic drinks Can’t say

PWC Scuba Diving Snorkelling 0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Figure 12

NCSS2020: HOW MANY STANDARD DRINKS ARE REASONABLE TO CONSUME BEFORE UNDERTAKING A COASTAL ACTIVITY?

94%

Raise your arm to attract attention Regularly assess the situation

90% 89%

Relax and stay calm Ask a surfer for help

78%

Float

63%

Swim parallel, horizontal to the shore

55%

Swim across the current

46%

Swim with the rip

46%

Swim 45 degree angle towards beach

44%

Swim towards the waves

19%

Swim away from the shore

18%

Swim back to the shore/against current

13%

Figure 13

NCSS2020: PROPORTION OF SURVEY PARTICIPANTS WHO AGREED THAT THE ABOVE RESPONSES WERE A GOOD THING TO DO IF CAUGHT IN A RIP CURRENT Very Confident Somewhat confident Not very confident Not at all confident Can’t say

5%

Always Most of the time Sometimes Never Can’t say

7%

1% 4% 19%

24% 31% 52% 23%

Figure 14

33%

Figure 15

NCSS2020: HOW OFTEN DO YOU LOOK FOR THE PRESENCE OF RIP CURRENTS IN THE AREA PRIOR TO ENTERING THE WATER?

NCSS2020: HOW CONFIDENT ARE YOU THAT YOU COULD IDENTIFY A RIP?

SECTION ONE

17

COMMUNIT Y

C O A S TA L I N S I G H T S : SAFER COA STS FOR THE FUTURE

CoastSafe NSW, a newly established research unit within Surf Life Saving NSW, is developing innovative risk assessment methodologies and delivering a new series of coastal risk assessments to assist in preventing drowning and injury on NSW beaches, shore platforms, and coastal waterways.

This project is called Coastal insights: safer coasts for the future and follows an earlier series of coastal risk assessments known as Project Blueprint. The project is being funded by the NSW Government (Resilience NSW) and will be delivered by June 2023.

The coastal risk assessments aim to inform Surf Life Saving NSW, Surf Life Saving Branches, and Surf Life Saving Clubs, as well as Local Government Areas, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, and other water safety stakeholders of the risk of drowning and injury along the coastline. The project will then provide frameworks and guidance on strategies that could be implemented to reduce the risk of future incidents. This may include recommendations on lifeguarding services, surf lifesaving services, support operations, education programs and other water safety initiatives.

Five specific project objectives for Coastal insights: safer coasts for the future have been defined. They are as follows:

1

Quantify the influence of beach morphology and hydrodynamics, volume and frequency of water use, and social risk factors on the risk of drowning and injury.

2

Utilising the findings from the first objective, develop a number of models and frameworks to guide evidence-based decision making by Local Government Areas, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Surf Life Saving NSW, and other water safety stakeholders.

3

Provide the findings and modelled recommendations to water safety stakeholders; this will be through a spatial information management system and coastal risk assessment reports.

4

Review the existing data collected by lifeguarding services, surf lifesaving services and emergency services to identify inconsistencies and areas for improvement. Where required, improve the data that is collected, and implement new methodologies and technologies that could assist.

Coastal insights: safer coasts for the future requires a strong foundation in scientific research principles to ensure that the risk of drowning and injury can be accurately and consistently assessed across New South Wales and that the recommended safety interventions are fit-for-purpose. To achieve this, we are investing considerable time in addressing the first objective to better understand the different factors that influence risk in the coastal environment.

Firstly, we aim to better understand the influence of beach morphology and hydrodynamics on risk. As such, we will investigate trends and relationships between environmental factors and the occurrence of fatal and non-fatal incidents.

Secondly, we aim to better understand the population’s exposure to drowning and injury by analysing and spatially mapping beach and water use patterns throughout the year and across the hours of the day. Data will be captured using on-site observations, as well as a range of technologies that are currently being trialled. This includes high-resolution aerial imagery, monitoring cameras, and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.

5

Develop stronger relationships and collaboration with water safety stakeholders throughout NSW.

SURF LIFE SAVING NEW SOUTH WALES

18

COASTAL SAFET Y REPORT 2020

Thirdly, we aim to better understand the hazard awareness, behaviours, and competence of different groups using the water in different ways. This will be informed by discussions with on-site personnel, surveys of beach and water users and analysis of fatal and non-fatal incidents. The results of this research will feed directly into the second objective, the development of models and frameworks to guide evidence-based decision making.

CoastSafe NSW has been engaging with Local Government Areas, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Surf Life Saving Branches and other water safety stakeholders to discuss the project and ensure the outcomes will be fit-forpurpose. We are also reviewing existing data sources and identifying future data needs to ensure relevant information can be fed into the innovative risk assessment models and implementation frameworks that will be developed.

The research is being undertaken along the length of the New South Wales coastline

Water safety stakeholders will be provided with the findings and modelled recommendations in a spatial information management system

The research aims to better understand the factors contributing to drowning and injury

The research aims to review the existing data and identify inconsistencies and areas for improvement

A number of models and frameworks will be developed to guide evidencebased decision making

The project aims to strengthen relationships and collaboration with water safety stakeholders.

CoastSafe NSW looks forward to continuing to engage and collaborate with water safety stakeholders as Coastal insights: safer coasts for the future progresses.

19

C A PA B I LI T Y SECTION T WO

3,178

RESCUES

20,099 PROFICIENT MEMBERS

555,672 VOLUNTEER PATROL HOURS

11

129

89

Branches

Clubs

ALS services

C A PA B I LIT Y

Surf Life Saving NSW enables communities and visitors throughout the state to enjoy our coastline by helping to manage their safety. This is achieved through the provision of Volunteer Surf Life Saving, the Australian Lifeguard Service, and Support Operations.

20,099 SURF LIFESAVERS AMASSED 555,672 VOLUNTEER PATROL HOURS ON WEEKENDS AND PUBLIC HOLIDAYS

■ VOLUNTEER SURF LIFE SAVING Volunteer surf lifesavers from 129 Surf Life Saving Clubs (across 11 Surf Life Saving Branches) manage the safety of members of the public at patrolled beaches from Fingal Head to Pambula Beach. Between Saturday 28 September 2019 and Sunday 22 March 2020, 20,099 surf lifesavers amassed 555,672 volunteer patrol hours on weekends and public holidays (although the season was shorter than usual due to COVID-19).

Lifeguarding services were delivered by 368 lifeguards over the 2019/20 season.

They provided over 110,000 patrol hours, which ranged from long-term services provided throughout the year at some sites, to shorter services provided only over the summer school holidays at other sites. These lifeguards performed 555,290 preventative actions, rescued 652 people, and treated 5,948 people for injuries or medical complaints.

Surf lifesavers actively prevented members of the public getting into difficulty in and around the red and yellow flags through preventative actions (193,965), while also rescuing 2,526 people that got into difficulty.

They treated 6,006 people for injuries or medical complaints.

■ SUPPORT OPERATIONS

Rescue boards and rescue tubes continued to prove to be effective rescue equipment, particularly where incidents occurred close to shore and/or in and around the red and yellow flags. Allterrain vehicles (ATVs) and inflatable rescue boats (IRBs) were used to provide roving surveillance alongshore and assist in the response to incidents further from the red and yellow flags, as well as difficult rescues, i.e. incidents involving multiple patients.

■ AUSTRALIAN LIFEGUARD SERVICE The Australian Lifeguard Service manages the safety of beachgoers in and around the red and yellow flags at 89 beaches on behalf of 14 Local Government Areas, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, and one resort.

Surf Life Saving NSW provides services beyond the red and yellow flags to help manage the safety of the wider community.

Rescue watercraft, jet rescue boats, and offshore rescue boat Rescue watercraft (RWC) operate within and beyond the surf zone and provide surveillance along the shoreline at both patrolled and unpatrolled beaches. These assets provide critical support to surf lifesavers and lifeguards and can respond effectively to time-critical incidents outside the red and yellow flags.

In addition, jet rescue boats operate out of Ballina and Kiama, and an offshore rescue boat operates in Sydney. These vessels typically provide surveillance and response to those who may get into difficulty in and around the mouths of rivers and estuaries, as well as those using harbours and areas beyond the surf zone.

SURF LIFE SAVING NEW SOUTH WALES

22

Australian UAV Service and Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopters Over the 2019/20 season, the Australian UAV Service operated Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) at 18 beaches as part of the NSW Department of Primary Industries Shark Management Strategy.

This program was implemented to help reduce the interaction between people and sharks, and the UAVs were also used to help identify rip currents and water users at risk of getting into difficulty. In addition, UAVs were flown by volunteer surf lifesavers at five beaches as part of the Surf Life Saving NSW Membership UAV Program. A further 18 mobile UAVs were made available to Duty Officers to assist with search and rescue operations.

The Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopters also provided surveillance and response to water-based incidents in New South Wales. The rescue helicopters operate out of Sydney and the South Coast.

Surf Emergency Response System The Surf Emergency Response System, which is managed by the State Operations Centre, is a framework for the notification and tasking of surf lifesavers and lifeguards to water-based incidents.

The system aims to reduce coastal and ocean drowning deaths by increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the response, and helps ensure that there is clear communication and effective coordination between surf lifesavers, lifeguards, and other emergency services.

The Surf Emergency Response System is led by a team of State Duty Officers.

The capability of the Surf Emergency Response System was further enhanced by a recent upgrade to the State Operations Centre, as well as the provision of emergency response vehicles and rescue watercraft. These initiatives were funded by the NSW Government.

COASTAL SAFET Y REPORT 2020

Duranbah ALS

Fingal Rovers SLSC & ALS North Kingscliff ALS Cudgen Headland SLSC & ALS Salt SLSC & ALS / Casuarina Beach ALS

Hastings Point ALS / Pottsville North ALS / Pottsville South ALS / South Golden ALS

Cabarita Beach SLSC & ALS

The Pass ALS / Wategos ALS / Tallows ALS Suffolk Park AL / Broken Head ALS

First Sun ALS / Byron Bay SLSC & ALS

Brunswick SLSC & ALS Lennox Head-Alstonville SLSC & ALS Sharpes Beach ALS / Flat Rocks ALS / Shelly Beach ALS /Ballina Lighthouse and Lismore SLSC & ALS

Evans Head-Casino SLSC & ALS Illuka Bluff ALS / Turners ALS / Yamba SLSC & ALS / Pippi Beach ALS Brooms Head ALS Minnie Water-Wooli SLSC & ALS / Wooli Beach ALS Red Rock-Corindi SLSC Woolgoolga SLSC

129 89

Coffs Harbour SLSC Sawtell SLSC Bellinger Valley-Nth Beach SLSC & ALS Urunga SLSC & Hungry Head ALS South Valla Beach ALS / Nambucca SLSC & ALS Macksville-Scotts Head SLSC & ALS / Grassy Head Beach ALS Horseshoe Bay ALS / South West Rocks SLSC & ALS Hat Head SLSC & ALS Kempsey-Crescent Head SLSC & ALS

ALS PATROLLED BEACHES

SURF LIFE SAVING CLUBS

Town Beach ALS / Port Macquarie SLSC & Flynns Beach ALS Tacking Point SLSC & Lighthouse Beach ALS Lake Cathie ALS / Wauchope-Bonny Hills SLSC & Rainbow Beach ALS Camden Haven SLSC & North Haven ALS Crowdy Head SLSC & ALS Taree-Old Bar SLSC & ALS Diamond Beach ALS / Black Head SLSC & ALS Forster SLSC & ALS Cape Hawke SLSC & ALS Pacific Palms SLSC & ALS / Boomerang Beach ALS

Fingal Beach SLSC & ALS Stockton SLSC

Nobbys SLSC / Newcastle SLSC

Cooks Hill SLSC

Dixon Park SLSC / Merewether SLSC

Redhead SLSC Caves Beach SLSC

Magenta ALS / Nth Entrance SLSC / The Entrance SLSC

Toowoon Bay SLSC / Shelly Beach SLSC Nth Avoca SLSC / Avoca SLSC

Collaroy SLSC / Long Reef SLSC / Dee Why SLSC / Nth Curl Curl SLSC / Sth Curl Curl SLSC Nth Bondi SLSC / Bondi Surf Bathers LSC / Tamarama SLSC / Bronte SLSC / Clovelly SLSC Wanda SLSC / Elouera SLSC / South North Cronulla SLSC / Cronulla SLSC

Swansea Belmont SLSC Catherine Hill Bay SLSC / Frazer Beach ALS

The Lakes SLSC / Soldiers Beach SLSC

Ocean Beach SLSC / Umina SLSC

Tea Gardens-Hawks Nest SLSC & ALS One Mile ALS / Birubi Point SLSC & ALS

Wamberal SLSC / Terrigal SLSC Copacabana SLSC / MacMasters Beach SLSC / Killcare SLSC Nth Palm Beach SLSC & ALS / Palm Beach SLSC & ALS / Whale Beach SLSC & ALS / Avalon Beach SLSC & ALS / Bilgola SLSC & ALS / Newport SLSC & ALS Bungan Beach SLSC & ALS / Mona Vale SLSC & ALS / Warriewood SLSC & ALS / Nth Narrabeen SLSC / Narrabeen SLSC / Sth Narrabeen SLSC Freshwater SLSC / Queenscliff SLSC / Nth Steyne SLSC / Manly LSC

Coogee SLSC / Maroubra SLSC / Sth Maroubra SLSC Garie SLSC & ALS / Era SLSC / Burning Palms SLSC

Helensburgh-Stanwell Park SLSC / Coalcliff SLSC / Scarborough-Wombarra SLSC

Coledale SLSC / Austinmer SLSC / Thirroul SLSC / Sandon Point SLSC Bulli SLSC / Woonona SLSC / Bellambi SLSC Corrimal SLSC / Towradgi SLSC / Fairy Meadow SLSC / Nth Wollongong SLSC / Wollongong City SLSC

Port Kembla SLSC Kiama Downs SLSC / Kiama SLSC

Windang SLSC / Warilla-Barrack Point SLSC / Shellharbour SLSC Gerringong SLSC

Shoalhaven Heads SLSC & ALS Crookhaven ALS / Tilbury Cove ALS / Nowra-Culburra SLSC & ALS Sussex Inlet & Districts SLSC & ALS Narrawallee ALS / North Mollymook ALS / Mollymook SLSC & ALS

Batemans Bay SLSC Broulee Surfers SLSC Moruya SLSC

Narooma SLSC Camel Rock Beach ALS / Bermagui SLSC & ALS

Tathra SLSC & ALS Short Point ALS / Bar Beach ALS / Merimbula ALS Pambula SLSC & ALS Aslings ALS

SECTION T WO

23

CAPABILIT Y

M E M B E R S H I P C A PAC IT Y

GOLD MEDALLION 244

IRB CREW CERTIFICATE 6,156

SILVER MEDALLION ADVANCED FIRST AID 165

SILVER MEDALLION AQUATIC RESCUE 601 SILVER MEDALLION BEACH MANAGEMENT 5,215

BRONZE MEDALLION 17,795

FIRST AID 4,561

ADVANCED RESUSCITATION TECHNIQUES 4,311

RADIO OPERATOR CERTIFICATE 770

SILVER MEDALLION IRB DRIVER 3,282

SPINAL MANAGEMENT 2,428

Figure 16

2019/20: QUALIFICATIONS HELD BY BRONZE MEDALLION HOLDERS 17,795 proficient Bronze Medallion holders are also proficient in ten other lifesaving awards, totalling over 27,000 additional lifesaving qualifications. This highlights the large amount of additional volunteer training our surf lifesavers undertake to ensure they are highly skilled first responders.

2019/20: PATROLLING SURF LIFESAVERS 4% 8% 31% 14%

31%

65%

BOARD

MALE

21% 21%

35% FEMALE

Figure 17

2019/20: EQUIPMENT USE IN RESCUES

SURF LIFE SAVING NEW SOUTH WALES

24

COASTAL SAFET Y REPORT 2020

Board IRB Rescue Tube RWC No Gear Other

A S S E T C A PA B I LIT Y

Figure 18

2019/20: SLS MAJOR ASSET LOCATIONS AND SERVICE RANGES SLSNSW maintains a fleet of 73 rescue watercraft (RWC), two jet rescue boats (JRB), and one offshore rescue boat (ORB). SLSA maintains two rescue helicopters.

Sydney Key to Asset Location

Canberra

Rescue Watercraft (RWC) Jet Rescue Boat (JRB) Offshore Rescue Boat (ORB) Rescue Helicopter

0

200km SCALE

SECTION T WO

25

CAPABILIT Y

SURF EMERGENCY RESPONSE SYSTEM

The Surf Emergency Response System (SERS) was activated 599 times between 1 July 2019 and 30 June 2020, which is slightly down on the five-year average of 617. The reduction may be attributed to the bushfire emergency and the subsequent decrease in coastal visitation over 2019/20 when compared to previous years. Changes to the use of the coastline during the COVID-19 pandemic may also have influenced these statistics.

SERS also demonstrated its value in larger-scale incidents, including the bushfire emergency on the NSW coastline and the evacuation of at-risk residents during flood events.

The State Operations Centre, Duty Officers, some Surf Life Saving Branches, a number of Surf Life Saving Clubs and the Australian Lifeguard Service provided valuable assistance and service to the community during these difficult times.

700 600 500 400 300 200

9 /0 08

20

09 /1 0 20 10 /1 1 20 11 /1 2 20 12 /1 3 20 13 /1 4 20 14 /1 5 20 15 /1 6 20 16 /1 7 20 17 /1 8 20 18 /1 9 20 19 /2 0

100

20

As with previous years, SERS received the largest proportion of activations over summer (37%) and responded to most incidents during the afternoon (58%). SERS most frequently responded to swimmers in difficulty (26%), followed by members of the public using watercraft (20%), and boaters in distress (18%). These statistics are similar to the five-year averages. These activations resulted in 219 lives being saved.

800

Figure 19

2008-2020: NUMBER OF SERS ACTIVATIONS The average number of SERS activations each season is 471; the average in the last five years is 617.

2% Unknown 6pm-12am 12pm-6pm 6am-12pm 12am-6am

100

3%

26%

4% 9%

5 year average

80

3%

4%

60

12% 40

26% SWIMMING

20%

20

ne Ju

r il

ay M

Ap

ch ar M

ua

ry

y

br Fe

ar

be

nu

m ce De

Ja

be

r

r

er

m ve No

r

ob

be

ct O

em

Se

pt

gu Au

Ju

ly

st

18%

Swimming Watercraft Boating Other Rock/Cliff related Suicide/Self Harm Diving/Snorkelling Rockfishing Unknown Missing Person - Land

Figure 20

Figure 21

2019/20: NUMBER OF SERS ACTIVATIONS BY MONTH AND TIME OF DAY This season there was a slight reduction in the number of SERS activations that occurred over summer when compared to the five-year average.

2019/20: NUMBER OF SERS ACTIVATIONS BY ACTIVITY Swimming, watercraft and boating were the top three activities that required SERS activations.

SURF LIFE SAVING NEW SOUTH WALES

26

COASTAL SAFET Y REPORT 2020

RESCUES

Figure 22

2019/20: RESCUES PER LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA (LGA) Surf lifesavers and lifeguards performed 3,178 rescues across New South Wales.

Sydney Canberra

Key to Rescues per LGA < 14 Rescues 15 - 49 Rescues 50 - 149 Rescues 150 - 399 Rescues > 400 Rescues

0

200km SCALE

SECTION T WO

27

CAPABILIT Y

FIRST AIDS

Figure 23

2019/20: FIRST AIDS PER LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA (LGA) Surf lifesavers and lifeguards performed 11,954 first aid treatments across New South Wales.

Sydney Canberra Key to First Aid Incidents per LGA < 49 Incidents 50 - 349 Incidents 350 - 649 Incidents 650 - 2,999 Incidents > 3,000 Incidents

0

200km SCALE

SURF LIFE SAVING NEW SOUTH WALES

28

COASTAL SAFET Y REPORT 2020

P R E V E N TAT I V E A C T I O N S

Figure 24

2019/20: PREVENTATIVE ACTIONS PER LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA (LGA) Surf lifesavers and lifeguards performed 749,255 preventative actions across New South Wales.

Sydney Canberra Key to Preventative Actions per LGA < 1,499 Actions 1,500 - 4,999 Actions 5,000 - 19,999 Actions 20,000 - 99,999 Actions > 100,000 Actions

0

200km SCALE

SECTION T WO

29

CAPABILIT Y

AUS TR A LI A N UAV S E RVI CE

The Australian Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Service (AUAVS) partners with the NSW Government Department of Primary Industries (DPI) to deliver the UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) Shark Surveillance Program.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle services were delivered across 18 locations from Kingscliff Beach in northern NSW to Pambula Beach in the south. SLSNSW also delivered a volunteer-based UAV program, through which UAVs kept an eye on beachgoers at five Surf Life Saving Clubs. UAVs were used to help identify rip currents and to watch for swimmers and surfers in difficulty. A further 18 mobile UAVs were made available to Duty Officers

to assist with search and rescue operations along the NSW coastline (as part of the Surf Emergency Response System).

Throughout the spring, summer and autumn of the 2019/20 season, there were over 16,800 flights flown, totalling over 3,700 hours of flight time. These flights were primarily focussed on shark surveillance, identification and video capture. In addition to surveillance, a range of other uses for UAV technology continue to be developed.

30

During the 2019/20 season there were over 250 sharks sighted by our UAVs, which resulted in 90 temporary beach closures. Feedback from beach users and lifeguard services highlighted the effectiveness of UAV technology in facilitating more responsive beach closures and re-openings. The surveillance capability of our UAVs allows beaches to be re-opened as soon as a UAV pilot confirms that any dangerous shark species have left the area.

Other uses of UAVs include the identification of rip currents and other beach hazards, the surveillance of swimmers away from patrolled locations and beach assessment to assist in optimising the allocation of patrol assets.

AUAVS also continues to develop methods for data collection and processing, whereby data can be used by SLSNSW and local governments to facilitate the safe and efficient management of Surf Life Saving assets.

Our UAV technology is evolving quickly and an exciting development during the 2019/20 season was the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) software to allow the real-time identification of shark species. This technology was trialled in partnership with the DPI and Macquarie University.

During the 2019/20 season, our team of over 350 UAV operators and UAV pilots, who fulfill volunteer and paid roles throughout the state, have approached their operations with professionalism and commitment. We have continued yearround professional development of these Surf Life Saving resources and anticipate delivering an extended service with the NSW Government (DPI) in the 2020/21 season.

NSW GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES UAV SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM: Kingscliff Beach Main Beach, Byron Bay Lennox Head Sharpes Beach, Ballina Shelly Beach, Ballina Lighthouse Beach, Ballina Airforce Beach, Ballina Main Beach, Yamba Crescent Head Flynns Beach, Port Macquarie Main Beach, Forster Birubi Point Redhead Beach Surf Beach, Kiama South Mollymook Beach Malua Bay, Batemans Bay Tathra Beach Pambula Beach

SURF LIFE SAVING VOLUNTEER UAV PROGRAM: Far North Coast Duty Officer (North) Far North Coast Duty Officer (South) North Coast Duty Officer Mid North Coast Duty Officer Lower North Coast Duty Officer Hunter Duty Officer Central Coast Duty Officer Sydney Northern Beaches Duty Officer 1 Sydney Northern Beaches Duty Officer 2 Newport SLSC Mona Vale SLSC Warriewood SLSC Long Reef SLSC Sydney RCO 1 (North) Sydney Duty Officer 2 (North) Sydney Duty Officer 3 (South) Illawarra Duty Officer Helensburgh - Stanwell Park SLSC South Coast Duty Officer Far South Coast Duty Officer (North) Far South Coast Duty Officer (Central) Far South Coast Duty Officer (South) NSW State Mobile Service

16,821

250

3,791

90

FLIGHTS

SHARK SIGHTINGS

HOURS

BEACH CLOSURES

FEATURE

31

AUSTR ALIAN UAV SERVICE

D R O W N I N G A N A LY S I S SECTION THREE

49 DROWNING DEATHS

COASTAL & OCEAN

88 % MALE

12 % FEMALE

DROWNING STATISTICS 2004-20

Overseas-born

Rip currents

48%

31%

Alcohol/drugs

19%

NEW SOUTH WALE S D R O W N I N G A N D F ATA L I T Y O V E R V I E W 2 019/2 0 : Y E A R I N R E V I E W

This year served up an array of unprecedented challenges that had dramatic impacts on tourism and travel (domestic and international) and saw restrictions placed on how and where people could use the coast. As the uncertainty continues and coastal recreation evolves accordingly, ongoing monitoring and research are needed to ensure coastal safety practices remain relevant.

99

51%

In New South Wales, there were 49 coastal and ocean drowning deaths recorded. For the first time since data collection began, boating and personal watercarft (PWC) activities recorded the highest number of drowning deaths, which may suggest that people changed how they recreated on the coast in 2019/20. A further 50 other coastal fatalities (not drowning-related) were also recorded, 27 of which were unintentional. This equates to a total of 99 fatal incidents.

45%

FATAL INCIDENTS

Coastal drowning deaths Ocean drowning deaths Coastal fatalities

4%

Figure 25

2019/20: OVERVIEW OF COASTAL AND OCEAN DROWNING DEATHS, AND OTHER COASTAL FATALITIES

All incidents that result in the loss of life or long-term injury have devastating impacts on families, friends and communities. This includes surf lifesavers, lifeguards and other first responders. Involvement in any major rescue, trauma or fatal event can create enduring financial and social impacts on the health and well-being of the community and first responders.

49

50

DROWNING DEATHS

Research is critical to understand why and how these coastal incidents occur and provides evidence that can guide future prevention and mitigation strategies.

45

COASTAL

COASTAL FATALITIES

4

OCEAN

23

27

INTENTIONAL

UNINTENTIONAL

20 28

AQUATIC

NSW Total Sydney Hunter Far North Coast Central Coast Syd Northern Beaches South Coast Far South Coast Mid North Coast Illawarra North Coast Lower North Coast

2

UNKNOWN

99, (1.22) 21 14 9 9 9 8 7 7 7 6

Drowning Aquatic Non Aquatic Unknown

2 0

20

40

60

80

Figure 26

2019/20: OVERVIEW OF FATAL INCIDENTS FOR NSW AND SLS BRANCHES

NON AQUATIC

SURF LIFE SAVING NEW SOUTH WALES

34

COASTAL SAFET Y REPORT 2020

100

Number, (Rate per 100,000 population)

Sydney Canberra

Coastal and ocean drowning death Coastal fatality

0

200km SCALE

Figure 27

2019/20: COASTAL AND OCEAN DROWNING DEATHS AND OTHER COASTAL FATALITIES In 2019/20 there were 49 coastal and ocean drowning deaths and 50 coastal fatalities (five incidents had unknown locations).

Red and blue circles indicate drowning death and coastal fatality numbers respectively.

2019/20: LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA COASTAL BLACKSPOTS A blackspot is an area where a concentration of incidents are recorded and have a high risk of reoccurrence. These areas recorded the highest numbers of fatal incidents in 2019/20.

NSW: Port Stephens (9), Wollongong (6), NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (6), Northern Beaches (5), Shoalhaven (5) and Kempsey (5).

SECTION THREE

35

DROWNING ANALYSIS

NEW SOUTH WALE S DROWNING OVERVIEW 2 019/2 0 : Y E A R I N R E V I E W

2.0

Male Female

7 6

1.5

Number (n)

5 4

1.0

3 2

0.5

Rate per 100,000 population

8

1 0

0-4

5-9

10 - 14

15-19

20 - 24

25 - 29

30 - 34

35 - 39

40 - 44

45 - 49

50 - 54

55 - 59

60 - 64

65 - 69

70 - 74

75 - 79

80 - 84

85+

0.0

Figure 28

2019/20: COASTAL AND OCEAN DROWNING DEATHS BY AGE AND GENDER (N=49) The highest number of drowning deaths were recorded for individuals between 50-59 years old and 60-69 years old. 75-79 year olds recorded the highest mortality rate (2.0 per 100,000 population). Overall, 88% of drowning deaths were male (n=43).

31%

BOATING & PWC INCIDENTS ALMOST TRIPLED COMPARED TO THE 16-YEAR AVERAGE

22%

4%

Percentage

16%

2% 22%

45%

8% 6% 4%

4%

5%

4%

BEACH

ow n kn

Fa ll Un

in g ke ll or

Sn

sc

ue

ng

Re

ivi pt

in

ga

aD

ub

Beach Offshore Rock/Cliff Bay River/Creek

At te

m

Sc

hi

er cr aft

ng

W at

Fis ck Ro

m im Sw

Bo

at

in

in

g/

g&

W ad

PW

in

C

g

27%

45%

Figure 29

Figure 30

2019/20: COASTAL AND OCEAN DROWNING DEATHS BY ACTIVITY (N=49) Boating & PWC activities recorded the most drowning deaths (n=15), followed by swimming/wading (n=11), rock fishing (n=8) and watercraft (n=4).

2019/20: COASTAL AND OCEAN DROWNING DEATHS

BY ENVIROMENT (N=49) Most drowning deaths occurred at beaches (n=22).

SURF LIFE SAVING NEW SOUTH WALES

36

COASTAL SAFET Y REPORT 2020

41%

35% 22% 2%

11%

OFFSHORE

OUTER-REGIONAL

INNER-REGIONAL

MAJOR CITIES

REMOTE

2%

VERY REMOTE

Figure 31

2019/20: REMOTENESS CLASSIFICATION OF COASTAL AND OCEAN DROWNING DEATHS (N=49) Forty-one percent of drowning deaths occurred in major cities (n=20), followed by inner (n=17) and outer-regional (n=11) locations.

The ‘remoteness classification’ of an incident location was coded to the Australian Statistical Geographic Standard Remoteness Areas.

Morning (6am-12pm) Afternoon (12pm-6pm) Evening (6pm-12am) Night (12am-6am)

10

40%

30% 6

6

6 5

20% 3

3 2

2 1

Jul

Aug

Percentage

Number (n)

4

10%

1

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

0

Jun

<1km

1-5km

>5km

Unknown

Figure 32

Figure 33

2019/20: COASTAL AND OCEAN DROWNING DEATHS BY MONTH AND TIME OF DAY (N=49) Most drowning deaths (n=22, 44%) happened over summer (Dec-Feb). Of these summer incidents, most happened in the afternoon (n=13).

2019/20: DISTANCE FROM DROWNING LOCATION TO A SURF LIFE SAVING SERVICE (N=49) Most of 2019/20 drowning deaths occurred 1 to 5km from a surf life saving service (n=19, 39%).

SECTION THREE

37

DROWNING ANALYSIS

NEW SOUTH WALE S DROWNING OVERVIEW 2 0 0 4 â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2 0 : 16 -Y E A R R E V I E W

No cause of death listed 60

0.8

56

40

40

43

42

49

49

45

32

43

41 33

32

0.6

34

29

30

0.4

20 0.2

Rate per 100,000 population

49

48

50

Number (n)

Cause of death listed

10

0

0.0 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20

Figure 34

2004-20: NEW SOUTH WALES COASTAL AND OCEAN DROWNING DEATHS (N=665) Coastal and ocean drowning deaths in New South Wales and crude mortality rates from 2004-20 are illustrated above. 49 drowning deaths were recorded in 2019/20, above the 16-year average of 42. The 2019/20 mortality rate is 0.60 per 100,000 population, greater than the 16-year average of 0.56 per 100,000 population.

42

16-YEAR AVERAGE COASTAL AND OCEAN DROWNING DEATHS

0.56

16-YEAR AVERAGE RATE PER 100,000 POPULATION

2%

North America

13% Europe

2%

Africa

1%

Latin America

88%

28% Asia

2%

Oceania

52%

Australia

12%

KEY DEMOGRAPHICS

20-34 45-54 YEAR OLDS

YEAR OLDS

The 20-34 year old age group accounts for 28% of all coastal and ocean drowning deaths, while 45-54 year olds account for 19%.

SURF LIFE SAVING NEW SOUTH WALES

Figure 35

2004-20: COASTAL AND OCEAN DROWNING DEATHS BY CONTINENT OF BIRTH Continent of birth is known for 84% of coastal and ocean drowning deaths (n=560), with 52% born in Australia (n=291), 28% born in Asia (n=159) and 13% born in Europe (n=72).

38

COASTAL SAFET Y REPORT 2020

120

60 107

50 40

76

80

78

Number (n)

Number (n)

100

68 66

60 48

46

30 20

38

40

42

28

39

29

May

Jun

10

0 Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

0 12-1am 1-2am 2-3am 3-4am 4-5am 5-6am 6-7am 7-8am 8-9am 9-10am 10-11am 11-12pm 12-1pm 1-2pm 2-3pm 3-4pm 4-5pm 5-6pm 6-7pm 7-8pm 8-9pm 9-10pm 10-11pm 11-12am

Jul

Figure 36

Figure 37

2004-20: COASTAL AND OCEAN DROWNING DEATHS BY MONTH

2004-20: COASTAL AND OCEAN DROWNING DEATHS BY TIME

The highest number of coastal and ocean drowning deaths occurred in January (n=107), followed by February (n=78) and December (n=76). Over one-third (39%) of incidents occurred during summer (n=261). Shading denotes seasons.

Incident time is currently known for 87% of coastal and ocean drowning deaths (n=581). Over half (52%) of all known drowning deaths occurred between 12pm and 6pm (shaded area).

16-year average 20

18

17

Number (n)

15

15

14 11

11

10

13.8 10 8 5

5

4

15/16

19/20

8.0

5.2

3

15/16

Swimming/Wading

2 19/20

15/16

19/20

Boating & PWC

1.4 19/20

Scuba Diving

4 3.3

3 2

2

3

2 0

15/16

Rock Fishing

4

3

1

5

5

4 Number (n)

8

1

0

5

8

7

2

2

2

2

2

3 2

2

2 1.9

1.6

1

3 1.9

1

1

1

1

0 15/16

19/20 Snorkelling

15/16

19/20

15/16

Watercraft

19/20 Fall

15/16

19/20 Attempting a Rescue

Figure 38

2004-20: TRENDS OF COASTAL AND OCEAN DROWNING DEATHS BY ACTIVITY FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS COMPARED WITH THE 16-YEAR AVERAGE Coastal and ocean drowning deaths vary by activity and over time. In 2019/20, boating & PWC, scuba diving, snorkelling, watercraft, fall-related, and rescue incidents were above the 16-year average, while swimming/wading was below. Rock fishing incidents were equal to the 16-year average.

SECTION THREE

39

DROWNING ANALYSIS

B O AT I N G A N D R O C K F I S H I N G D R O W N I N G D E AT H S

At approximately 6.15 pm on Saturday 6 June 2020, surf lifesavers from the Illawarra Branch responded to a report from NSW Police Marine Area Command that several people were in the water off Bulli, Wollongong, screaming for help. The Surf Life Saving Illawarra Duty Officer and Bulli Surf Life Saving Club Emergency Callout Team were immediately mobilised.

A search was undertaken in challenging conditions, alongside NSW Police (including the PolAir helicopter, fixed wing aircraft, and Water Police), Toll Ambulance Rescue Helicopter Service, and Marine Rescue NSW. They were looking for four people who were missing in the water after their vessel had been overturned by a wave.

The operation, which took place in 1.5 metre surf around reef and rocky outcrops, proved difficult but searchers were able to locate and rescue two people from the water. Over the evening and following day, the search for the remaining two people was also joined by the Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter and NSW Maritime. Tragically, later that evening one person was found deceased in the capsized vessel, while the remaining person was located deceased in the water off Corrimal.

12%

The response by emergency services demonstrated collaboration and interoperability, working to the strengths of each service. This was recognised with the multi-agency response being awarded a Surf Life Saving NSW Rescue of the Month Award.

Unfortunately, the tragedy off Bulli was one of a number of boating incidents in or near the surf zone that Surf Life Saving NSW responded to over 2019/20. This season saw a sharp increase in the number of coastal and ocean drowning deaths among people who were boating. There were 15 deaths between 1 July 2019 and 30 June 2020, equating to a five-fold increase when compared to the 2018/19 season, and almost three times greater than the

17%

12%

19%

68% 71%

Boating and PWC Rock Fishing Other

Wearing a lifejacket Not wearing a lifejacket Unknown

Figure 39

Figure 40

2004-20: PROPORTION OF COASTAL AND OCEAN DROWNING DEATHS INVOLVING BOATERS AND ROCK FISHERS

2004-20: LIFEJACKET USE IN BOATING AND ROCK FISHINGRELATED DROWNING DEATHS

SURF LIFE SAVING NEW SOUTH WALES

40

COASTAL SAFET Y REPORT 2020

15

Rock Fishing Boating and PWC

12 09 06

0 20 19 /2

20 17 /1 8 20 18 /1 9

20 10 /1 1 20 11 /1 2 20 12 /1 3 20 13 /1 4 20 14 /1 5 20 15 /1 6 20 16 /1 7

9 /0

09 /1 0

20

8

08 20

/0 7

07 /0 20

06 20

05 20

20

04

/0

/0

6

5

03

Figure 41

2004-2020: COASTAL AND OCEAN DROWNING DEATHS INVOLVING BOATERS AND ROCK FISHERS On average there are 5.2 boating-related drowning deaths and 8 rock fishing-related drowning deaths every year. average over the previous 16 years (Figure 41). Boating was the most commonly listed recreational activity in coastal and ocean drowning deaths over the 2019/20 season, exceeding incidents involving swimmers (n=11).

SINCE 2004

150

BOATERS AND ROCK FISHERS MAY HAVE SURVIVED IF THEY WERE WEARING A LIFEJACKET.

A FURTHER 9 MAY HAVE SURVIVED IF THEIR LIFEJACKET WAS WORN AND/OR DEPLOYED CORRECTLY.

There were also eight drowning deaths involving rock fishers over the 2019/20 season, which is consistent with the average for the past 16 years.

Of the boating-related drowning deaths in 2019/20, the majority were males aged over 50 years old. All resided in Australia, and many incidents involved more than one death. This is broadly consistent with the trends from previous years. In comparison, drowning deaths of rock fishers in 2019/20 involved middle aged or older males who resided in Australia and were of Korean, Australian, Chinese, and Vietnamese heritage. All but one rock fishing drowning death occurred during winter and autumn, and all occurred during the morning or early afternoon. In contrast, boating drowning deaths occurred at many different times of the year and at different times of the day.

Most of the boating and rock fishing drowning victims were not wearing

FEATURE

41

lifejackets at the time of incidence, or were using them incorrectly. Many boating incidents occurred after the vessels capsized in rough conditions, or while attempting to cross a bar.

This highlights the need for water safety stakeholders to continue to educate the community on ways to enjoy our coastline safely. In particular, all boaters and rock fishers should be encouraged to check the weather and ocean conditions prior to going out and monitor the conditions while they are out. In addition, they should ensure that they always wear a correctly fitted lifejacket, and clearly understand the use and maintenance of their lifejacket. It is notable that a considerable number of rock fishing incidents occurred outside of the patrolling season; as such, the continued installation and maintenance of appropriate public rescue equipment on rock platforms would be of benefit.

Boaters should also always â&#x20AC;&#x2122;Log Onâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; with their marine radio to provide details of their trip to Marine Rescue NSW. Visit https://www.marinerescuensw.com.au/ boating-safety/log-on-and-log-off-forsafer-boating/ for further information.

BOATING AND ROCK FISHING DROWNING DEATHS

U N I N T E N T I O N A L C O A S TA L F ATA L I T I E S 2 0 0 4 -2 0 : 16 -Y E A R R E V I E W

No cause of death listed

Cause of death listed 0.4

30 27

27

22

Number (n)

20

18

18 15

0.3 19

17

15

15

16 0.2

15 11

12

11

10 0.1

Rate per 100,000 population

25

24

25

5 0.0

0

2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20

Figure 42

2004-20: NEW SOUTH WALES UNINTENTIONAL COASTAL FATALITIES (N=292) Unintentional coastal fatalities for New South Wales and crude mortality rates from 2004-20 are illustrated above. 27 unintentional coastal fatalities were recorded in 2019/20, above the 16-year average of 18. The 2019/20 mortality rate is 0.33 per 100,000 population, above the 16-year average of 0.25 per 100,000 population.

18

16-YEAR AVERAGE UNINTENTIONAL COASTAL FATALITIES

0.25

16-YEAR AVERAGE RATE PER 100,000 POPULATION

2%

North America

11% Europe

1%

Africa

1%

Latin America

84%

16%

5% Asia

4%

Oceania

71%

Australia

KEY DEMOGRAPHICS

40-49 55-64 YEAR OLDS

YEAR OLDS

Figure 43

The 40-49 year old age group accounts for 18% of unintentional coastal fatalities while 55-64 year olds account for 24%, predominantly due to medical complications. Age was known for 99% of cases (n=289).

SURF LIFE SAVING NEW SOUTH WALES

2004-20: UNINTENTIONAL COASTAL FATALITIES BY CONTINENT OF BIRTH Continent of birth is known for 80% of unintentional coastal fatalities (n=234), with 71% born in Australia (n=165), 11% born in Europe (n=31) and 5% born in Asia (n=16).

42

COASTAL SAFET Y REPORT 2020

40 35

20

33 29

30

29 30

24

25

Number (n)

25

20 17

15 0

18

May

Jun

10 5

15

14 Jul

18

15

0 Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

12-1am 1-2am 2-3am 3-4am 4-5am 5-6am 6-7am 7-8am 8-9am 9-10am 10-11am 11-12pm 12-1pm 1-2pm 2-3pm 3-4pm 4-5pm 5-6pm 6-7pm 7-8pm 8-9pm 9-10pm 10-11pm 11-12am

Number (n)

25

37

Figure 44

Figure 45

2004-20: UNINTENTIONAL COASTAL FATALITIES BY MONTH

2004-20: UNINTENTIONAL COASTAL FATALITIES BY TIME

The highest number of unintentional coastal fatalities occurred in January (n=37), followed by December (n=33) and February (n=30). 66% of incidents occurred outside summer (n=192).

Incident month was known for 99% of unintentional coastal fatalities (n=289). Shading denotes seasons.

Unintentional coastal fatalities peak between 10am and 11am, with 63% between 9am and 5pm (n=158; shaded area). Incident time is currently known for 86% of coastal fatalities (n=250).

54%

33% 5% 8%

OFFSHORE

11%

MAJOR CITIES

INNER-REGIONAL

OUTER-REGIONAL

REMOTE

2%

VERY REMOTE

Figure 46

2019/20: REMOTENESS CLASSIFICATION OF UNINTENTIONAL COASTAL FATALITIES (N=292) Fifty-four percent of unintentional coastal fatalities occurred in major cities (n=155), followed by inner-regional locations (n=95) and offshore waters (n=22). The ‘remoteness classification’ of an incident location was coded to the Australian Statistical Geographic Standard Areas.

SECTION THREE

43

DROWNING ANALYSIS

D R O W N I N G D E AT H S V S . U N I N T E N T I O N A L C O A S TA L F ATA L I T I E S 2 0 0 4 -2 0 : 16 -Y E A R R E V I E W

Drowning deaths are severe, accidental and largely preventable events that dominate the focus of coastal safety research. Our research has demonstrated that a significant proportion of unintentional coastal fatalities are non-drowning related and occur due to medical incidents, injuries, alcohol, drugs and marine creatures. These pages investigate the frequency and nature of these unintentional coastal fatalities compared to drowning deaths.

Between 2004 and 2020, there have been 1,378 fatal coastal incidents recorded on the NSW coast. Forty-eight percent were drowning deaths (n=665), while the other half were not drowning-related (n=713). Forty-one percent of these other coastal fatalities were unintentional (n=292). When drowning deaths are combined with these other unintentional coastal fatalities, drowning is by far the most common cause of death (69%; Figure 47). Cardiac episodes were reported as the cause of death in 14% of the total unintentional incidents, while fatal shark attacks accounted for 1%.

Most drowning deaths (52%) and unintentional coastal fatalities (71%) involved people born in Australia (Figure 49). Of those drowning victims who were born overseas, the largest proportion were from Europe (13%), while those born in Asia were highly represented in the other unintentional coastal fatalities (28%). For both drowning deaths and other unintentional coastal fatalities involving those born overseas, most were Australian residents, except for victims of unintentional coastal fatalities from North America, who were mostly short-term visitors.

2% 1%

Medical Condition Medical & Injury Injury None Unknown

4%

8%

0-4 5-9 10 - 14 15 - 19

14%

20 - 24

69%

Drowning Cardiac Blunt trauma injury Other injury Other medical Neck/spinal injury Shark Unknown

25 - 29 30 - 34 35 - 39 40 - 44 45 - 49

Figure 47

50 - 54

2004-20: CAUSAL FACTORS

55 - 59

Drowning is the most common causal factor of the total unintentional incidents (n=957).

60 - 64 65 - 69 70 - 74

69% TOTAL UNINTENTIONAL INCIDENTS IN NSW WERE DUE TO DROWNING COMPARED TO 1% DUE TO SHARK ATTACKS

SURF LIFE SAVING NEW SOUTH WALES

75 - 79 80 - 84 85+ 80

60

40 20 Drowning deaths (n)

0

0 Age

60 40 80 20 Other unintentional coastal fatalities (n)

Figure 48

2004-20: MEDICAL AND INJURY-RELATED INCIDENTS BY AGE Medical conditions and injuries contributed to 26% of drowning deaths and 82% of other unintentional coastal fatalities. 45-69 year olds are more likely to be affected by medical complications, while 20-39 year olds are more likely to be injured.

44

COASTAL SAFET Y REPORT 2020

6.8% 28.4%

12.9% 13.2%

1.8% 2.1%

Asia

Europe

North America

1.3% 2%

2.1% 5.1%

Africa

Oceania

0.9% 0.9%

Latin America

52% 70.5%

Australia

Drowning Deaths Fatalities

Figure 49

2004-20: DROWNING DEATHS AND FATALITIES BY KNOWN CONTINENT OF BIRTH Between 2004 and 2020, the country of birth is known for 84% of drowning deaths and 80% of other unintentional coastal fatalities.

Australian-born residents accounted for 52% of drowning deaths and 71% of other unintentional coastal fatalities.

Resident

Short-term visitor

Student/backpacker

Unknown

100%

Proportion

80%

60%

40%

20%

0% Drowning Death

Africa

Fatality

Drowning Death

Fatality

Drowning Death

Asia

Fatality

Europe

Drowning Death

Fatality

Drowning Death

Latin America

Fatality

North America

Drowning Death

Fatality

Oceania

Figure 50

2004-20: VISITOR CATEGORIES OF TOTAL UNINTENTIONAL INCIDENTS INVOLVING OVERSEAS-BORN INDIVIDUALS For both drowning deaths and other unintentional coastal fatalities involving those born overseas, most were Australian residents, except for victims of unintentional coastal fatalities from North America, who were mostly short-term visitors.

SECTION THREE

45

DROWNING ANALYSIS

DROWNING SNAPSHOT

2019/20 COASTAL AND OCEAN DROWNING DEATHS

2004â&#x20AC;&#x201C;20 COASTAL AND OCEAN DROWNING DEATHS 2 2

MORTALITY RATE

9 3 2 4 13 4 5 2

2 6 5 2

49 0.60

5 2 13 2

2 3 2 2 2

4 3

2 2 3 2 3 4 2 6 8 3 3 4 2 2 2 4 5 2 15 3 5 6

3

Lord Howe Island

2 3 5 2

6

10 4 7 2 4 5 3 2 5 4 3 2 13 9 2 2 2 2

SYDNEY

DROWNING DEATHS BY ACTIVITY

25 21 16 6 6 4 4 4 3 2 20 16 14 7 5 3 10 4 4

2

CANBERRA

PER 100,000 POPULATION

4

2 2 3 7 3

5 2 2 4

4%

2

2

2

5% 31%

4%

3 3 3

2

4%

6%

4 2 2 3

31%

8% Attempting a Rescue Boating & PWC Fall Jump Land-based Fishing Non Aquatic Transport

Other Rock Fishing Scuba Diving Snorkelling Swimming/Wading Unknown

4

Watercraft Multiple instances per activity at the same location Capital city

Boating Swimming/Wading Rock Fishing Watercraft Scuba Diving Attempting a Rescue Snorkelling Fall Unknown

Boating

16% 22%

AVERAGE MORTALITY RATE

AVERAGE

42

0.56

NUMBER

DROWNING DEATHS BY ENVIRONMENT

PER 100,000 POPULATION

4% 2%

88% 12%

22%

45%

MALE

Beach

FEMALE

45%

Beach Offshore Rock/Cliff Bay River/Creek

27%

KEY ACTIVITY DEMOGRAPHICS

60-79 & 40-64 YEAR OLD BOATERS

39%

YEAR OLD ROCK FISHERS, SNORKELLERS AND SCUBA DIVERS

SURF LIFE SAVING NEW SOUTH WALES

46

BETWEEN 1 AND 5 KM FROM A SURF LIFE SAVING SERVICE

COASTAL SAFET Y REPORT 2020

U N I N T E N T I O N A L C O A S TA L F ATA L I T I E S S N A P S H O T

2019/20 UNINTENTIONAL COASTAL FATALITIES

2004–20 UNINTENTIONAL COASTAL FATALITIES

MORTALITY RATE

27 0.33

4 3

2 3 4 6 2 2 2

4 3 2

PER 100,000 POPULATION

2 6

2 2

2 2 3 2

Lord Howe Island

3 3 3 6 3 5 5 9 11 21

2 2 3

2004–20: FATALITIES BY ACTIVITY

3 2 2 2 2

SYDNEY 2

10 8 3 2

4%

5 3 2

CANBERRA

2 2 2 2

24%

4% 1%

8%

2

24%

16%

Attempting a Rescue Boating & PWC Fall Jump Land-based Fishing Non Aquatic Transport

Other Rock Fishing Scuba Diving Snorkelling Swimming/Wading Unknown

4

Watercraft Multiple instances per activity at the same location Capital city

Boating

21%

21%

Boating Swimming/Wading Fall Watercraft Non Aquatic Transport Scuba Diving Land-based Fishing Snorkelling Rock Fishing Jump

AVERAGE MORTALITY RATE

AVERAGE

18

0.25

NUMBER

2004–20: FATALITIES BY ENVIRONMENT

PER 100,000 POPULATION 3%

3%

2% 1% 8%

84% 16%

12%

MALE

47% Beach

FEMALE

23%

47%

Beach Rock/Cliff Offshore Bay Port/Marina Pool (public) Jetty Lake/Pond/Waterhole River/Creek Other

KEY ACTIVITY DEMOGRAPHICS

65-74 & 40-49 YEAR OLD BOATERS

36%

YEAR OLD WATERCRAFT USERS

SECTION THREE

47

DROWNING ANALYSIS

LESS THAN 1KM FROM A SURF LIFE SAVING SERVICE

GLOSSARY

Adult For the purpose of this report, adults refer to a person 16-years of age and over.

Advanced Resuscitation Techniques A certification providing the skills and knowledge required to use specialised equipment in the provision of resuscitation in line with the Australian Resuscitation Council (ARC) guidelines.

ALS Australian Lifeguard Service.

Apply First Aid A certification providing the skills and knowledge required to provide a first aid response to a casualty.

Attempting a rescue Trying to retrieve a person in distress and deliver them to a place of safety.

AWSC Australian Water Safety Council also Australian Water Safety Conference.

AWSS Australian Water Safety Strategy.

Bay A body of water partially enclosed by land but with a wide mouth, affording access to the sea.

Beach A wave-deposited accumulation of sediment, usually sand but ranging in size up to boulders, deposited between the upper swash limit and wave base.

Blackspot An area with a concentration of coastal and ocean drowning deaths and a high risk of recurrence.

Boating Using either a powered vessel or sailing boat for pleasure and/or fishing.

Bystander A person who is present at an incident but not part of it initially.

Coastal Describes the foreshore, seabed, coastal water and air space above a large body of water (harbour/bay/inlet), including areas up to 3nm offshore and of which the landward boundary is the line of mean high water, except where that line crosses a river/inlet, the landward boundary at that point shall be the point upstream that is calculated by multiplying the width of the river/ inlet mouth by five (adopted from the Resource Management Amendment Act 1993 New Zealand).

COD Cause of death.

Crude fatality rate A comparative rate of mortality to the size of the population of participants for a given area or activity.

Dangerous surf warning An alert issued by the Bureau of Meteorology indicating that surf conditions in an area are unsafe for coastal activities. The warnings are calculated based on wave height, swell direction and swell period and must exceed the predetermined limitations to be in effect.

Drowning The process of experiencing respiratory impairment from submersion/immersion in liquid; outcomes are classified as death, morbidity and no morbidity.

Drowning death A fatal drowning incident arising from the process of respiratory impairment as a result of submersion/ immersion in liquid.

SURF LIFE SAVING NEW SOUTH WALES

Drugs A medicine or other substance which has a physiological effect when ingested or otherwise introduced to the body. The category includes therapeutic, over-the-counter and illicit drugs.

Emergency response An action taken by an SLS entity in response to a call for assistance from an emergency management organisation.

Falls (trips/slips) Events that result in a person coming to rest inadvertently on the ground or other lower level.

Fatality A fatal incident arising from circumstances other than drowning (e.g. medical condition, injury, self-harm, marine creature).

First Aid Assessments and interventions that can be performed by a bystander (or by the victim) with minimal to no equipment.

Fishing The act of attempting to catch fish from anywhere except coastal rock platforms.

Hazard A source of potential harm.

Incident Any unplanned event requiring surf lifesaving services intervention.

Inland An area that is beyond the line of mean high water or within a landward distance of five times the width of the coastal inlet/ river mouth.

Inshore The coastal water area within 500m of the low tide area of the foreshore.

Intentional fatality Any intentional incident, including homicide and self- harm related incidents.

International Describes an individual who is confirmed to reside overseas and/or is a temporary visitor to Australia.

IRB Inflatable rescue boat.

IRD Incident report database. A web-based portal used by SLS services to electronically record incident reports.

Jetty An artificial structure that projects out into the water from land.

JRB Jet rescue boat.

Jump(ing) The activity of launching off a cliff, rock platform, pier, jetty. Aka tombstoning (UK/Europe/North America).

Lake An inland body of water surrounded by land.

Lifeguard An individual who undertakes patrols at a beach or another aquatic environment. He/she is typically a salaried member, qualified in public safety and aquatic rescue.

Lifejacket A buoyant or inflatable garment or device designed to keep a person afloat in water and increase their likelihood of survival.

Lifesaving Service A coordinated group that exists to provide aquatic safety services to the public. This includes Surf Life Saving Clubs, Lifeguards, Surfcom, RWCs, RIBs, JRBs, ORBs, Rescue Helicopters and 4WD units.

48

COASTAL SAFET Y REPORT 2020

Local Government Area (LGA) Also known as local councils, LGAs include cities, town, shires, municipalities or boroughs.

Marina A man-made boat basin having sea walls or breakwaters and offering dockage and other services for water vessels.

Medical For the purpose of this report, medical refers to an incident that was caused by a medical episode, e.g. a heart attack or epileptic seizure.

NCIS National Coronial Information System.

NCSS The National Coastal Safety Survey conducted annually to gather information about Australian coastal participation swimming ability, risk perception, behaviours and attitudes to coastal safety.

Non aquatic fatality Non-aquatic fatalities refer to non-drowning related incidents which have occurred at a coastal location but not in the water.

Non aquatic transport Any form of transport that is not meant for the water such as airplanes, bicycles, and motor vehicles.

Offshore Describes the coastal water area beyond the surf zone and inshore area from 500m to 200nm.

Ocean The seabed, water and air space above the water between 3nm and 12nm (the Australian Territorial Sea) offshore.

ORB Offshore rescue boat.

Other An uncommon known activity not otherwise listed (e.g., paragliding, jogging).

Patrol Service undertaken to monitor activities in/around an aquatic environment and respond accordingly through either preventative actions or rescue operations.

Patrol flags Red and yellow horizontally divided flags which are set after performing a risk assessment to determine the most suitable area for swimming. The flags identify a zone for swimming and bodyboarding within a patrolled location.

Patrolled location A location supervised by a lifesaving service.

Preventative action Direct action taken to reduce or eliminate the probability of a specific rescue, first aid or other reportable incident from happening in the future.

PWC Personal water craft, also known as a jet ski.

Rescue The retrieval of a person in distress, delivering them to a place of safety and the application of first aid and basic life support as may be required.

Resuscitation Prevention or restoration of life by establishing and maintaining a person’s airway, breathing and circulation.

RIB Rigid-hull inflatable boat.

Rip current A seaward flowing current of water moving through a surf zone.

River A natural stream of water flowing into an ocean, lake or other body of water.

SURF LIFE SAVING NEW SOUTH WALES

Rock/Cliff A rock platform that may or may not have a high steep face.

Rock fishing The act of attempting to catch fish from a coastal rock platform.

Rock shelf A section of rock above or below the water level that projects out from the coast.

RWC Rescue water craft.

Scuba diving Swimming underwater with the aid of scuba equipment for recreational or commercial purposes.

Service season and hours Vary between states due to climatic factors, but in the context of this report, the season is for the period July 2019 to June 2020.

Snorkelling Swimming with a snorkel and face mask. Includes freediving and spearfishing.

Sovereign waters The seabed, water and air space above the water between 12nm and 200nm (the Australian Contiguous, Exclusive Economic and Fishing Zones) offshore.

Surfcom SLS radio communications centre that assists in managing the communications of lifesaving operations and data collection.

Surf lifesaver An individual who undertakes patrols at a beach or other aquatic environment. They are typically a nonsalaried member qualified in public safety and aquatic rescue.

Surf Life Saving Club A SLS affiliated not-for-profit organisation that has volunteer members who provide coastal safety services to the community.

Swimming Moving through water by moving the body or parts of the body.

Territorial seas The seaward limits of Australia’s maritime zones, from the coastline to 12nm from the low tide line.

Total Service Plan An assessment of current and future lifesaving resources, trends, national blackspots and coastal safety issues combined with evidence-based mitigation strategies to address these issues.

Toxicity The degree to which a chemical substance or combination of substances is toxic or poisonous to an organism. In the context of this report, toxicity refers to alcohol or drug used by a victim.

Unintentional fatality Deaths other than drowning deaths (such as medical incidents, injury, accidents, or marine creature), excluding homicide and self- harm related incidents.

Wading Walking through water while partially immersed.

Watercraft A piece of non-powered recreational equipment used in water. Examples include surfboards, stand-up paddle boards, bodyboards, windsurfers or kayaks.

49

GLOSSARY

REFERENCES

METHODOLOGY

DROWNING AND FATALITY DATA ANALYSIS

The SLSNSW Coastal Safety Report 2020 contains information on community behaviours and attitudes to the coast; SLSNSW capability and membership capacity; rescues and emergency response; and coastal and ocean drowning deaths and other coastal fatalities that occurred in New South Wales' waters from 1 July 2004 to 30 June 2020. This information is correct as of 12 August 2020. All care has been taken to ensure that the statistical information included within this report is correct. However, pending the outcome of ongoing coronial investigations and as SLSNSW update their operational information, this data may be amended. Data in figures may not always add up to 100% due to rounding. Mortality rates were calculated using the number of deaths divided by the population (per 100,000) from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, while comparative activity mortality rates used the number of coastal participants in New South Wales (per 100,000 participants), as estimated by the National Coastal Safety Survey (NCSS).

SLSA collects incident data from SurfGuard, the IRD, SurfCom, the National Coronial Information System (NCIS) and by monitoring media reports for coastal and ocean incidents. The information is then verified by SLSNSW. The following variables are used to match fatal incidents from more than one data source: incident date, location, age, gender, and incident description.

The NCIS is considered the ‘gold standard’ when there is a discrepancy in the detail collected from different data sources.

Incidents are excluded as a drowning death if they are reported as ‘intentional deaths’, they occur at inland locations, or drowning/ immersion’ is not a contributory factor as noted by the coroner.

Coastal incidents that are deemed intentional or not due to drowning/immersion are logged as coastal fatalities instead.

The authors are responsible for the use made of the data in this report.

THE AUSTRALIAN COMMUNITY ANALYSIS Information about community swimming ability, behaviours and attitudes to coastal safety, risk perceptions, safety strategies and rescues was gathered from the NCSS. Conducted by Omnipoll Market Research, the latest survey was run online from 9 to 21 April 2020 with a national sample of 1,587 respondents aged 16 and above. The study was carried out in compliance with AS-ISO 20252: Market, Social and Opinion Research. To reflect the population distribution, results were post-weighted (on age, gender, geographic strata, and education) and projected to Australian Bureau of Statistics data. The Australian population aged 16 and above (the reference population for this survey) is 18,712,000. The relevant statistics for New South Wales were extracted to undertake the analyses in this report.

CAPABILITY AND INCIDENT ANALYSIS SurfGuard, the Incident Report Database (IRD), and SurfCom management system (SurfCom) are web-based applications and part of a suite of applications that enable members, SLS Clubs, SLS Branches, SLSNSW, and SLSA to enter and access SLS operational, capability, educational, and administrative data. Information was extracted from SurfGuard to identify how many rescues were performed by volunteer surf lifesavers and lifeguards during 2019/20, and how many active surf lifesavers and award holders there were during 2019/20. Information on assets and services were also gathered.

SURF LIFE SAVING NEW SOUTH WALES

DROWNING DATA LIMITATIONS Over years of investigation as part of the NCIS process, some cases are amended prior to their closure, resulting in changes to the classification of cases in our datasets. Therefore, the number of coastal drowning deaths published in this report may be different from annual totals previously reported. In an effort to produce a timely report on our current year’s data we acknowledge that these figures will change. Each year, the changes that occur in the previous year’s report will be made transparent. The data in this current report are not the final figures as 64% of 2019/20 New South Wales fatal incidents (drowning deaths and coastal fatalities) remain open cases and 22% of 2019/20 cases do not have a cause of death (COD) listed.

Once NCIS closes a case, SLSA modifies those with unknown intent and those where the cause of death is not drowning, from ‘coastal or ocean drowning death’ to ‘coastal fatality’. Bars of two different colours are used to illustrate the incidents where a COD has not been listed on NCIS in Figure 34 and Figure 42.

The incidents are included in our annual totals and analysis, and they will remain so until a COD is listed other than drowning/ immersion.

SUGGESTED CITATION Surf Life Saving Australia and Surf Life Saving New South Wales, 2020. Surf Life Saving New South Wales Coastal Safety Report 2020.

Surf Life Saving, Sydney.

50

COASTAL SAFET Y REPORT 2020

REFERENCES •

• • •

Finally, thanks to the Surf Life Saving Clubs, Surf Life Saving Branches, Support Operations, and other emergency services in New South Wales for their efforts to prevent drowning and injury on our coastline.

Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2020. Australian Demographic Population Statistics. Accessed on 18 August 2020 from: https://www.abs.gov.au/Population SLSA National Coastal Safety Survey (NCSS2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020).

Newspoll/Omnipoll Online Omnibus April 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020.

SLSNSW Annual Reports (2009-2020).

This report was compiled by Surf Life Saving Australia and Surf Life Saving New South Wales, in particular the following: Shane Daw, General Manager Coastal Safety; Jasmin Lawes, Researcher; Nicole Cooney, Project Coordinator Coastal Safety; Annabel Ellis, Research Assistant; and Luke Strasiotto, Lifesaving Officer (Surf Life Saving Australia). Nick Mulcahy, Coastal Risk and Research Manager; Chris Twine, Coastal Risk and Research Coordinator; Elise Hancock, Senior Graphic Designer; Paul Hardy, UAV Operations Coordinator; Brent Manieri, Operations Manager Public Safety; Chris Smyth, Digital and Communications Manager; and Donna Wishart, Communications and Engagement Manager (Surf Life Saving New South Wales). The maps were produced by Flat Earth Mapping.

© 2020 SURF LIFE SAVING NEW SOUTH WALES This publication is copyright. Except as expressly provided in the Copyright Act 1968 and the Copyright Amendment Act 2006, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval systems or transmitted by any means (including electronic, mechanical, microcopying, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without prior permission from Surf Life Saving New South Wales.

Design: Melissa Conchar and Nicole Cooney

For enquiries concerning reproduction, contact SLSNSW on: phone 02 9471 8000; email: info@surflifesaving.com.au Every attempt has been made to trace and acknowledge copyright, but in some cases this may not have been possible.

Surf Life Saving New South Wales apologises for any accidental infringements and would welcome any information to redress the situation.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

CONTACT INFORMATION

Surf Life Saving Australia and Surf Life Saving New South Wales wish to thank the following organisations and people for their contribution to the SLSNSW Coastal Safety Report 2020: the Australian Government (Department of Health); National Coronial Information System (Leanne Daking and Jessica Bryan); the Department of Justice and Community Safety; Omnipoll (Frederic Anne); and SLSA major national corporate partners (DHL, Holden, and Westpac).

SLSA and SLSNSW receive funding from the Australian Government and NSW Government to commence valuable initiatives and programs. However, we rely on the generosity of the community and corporate support to ensure they continue.

To help Surf Life Saving please donate to: Surf Life Saving Foundation— slsfoundation.com.au For more information: Surf Life Saving New South Wales—surflifesaving.com.au Surf Life Saving Australia—sls.com.au

SLSNSW also wish to thank the NSW Government, in particular Resilience NSW, NSW Department of Primary Industries, NSW Ministry of Health, and Office of Sport for funding essential coastal surveillance, public safety, and drowning prevention programs and initiatives. In addition, SLSNSW would like to thank coastal Local Government Areas, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, and SLSNSW major partner ClubsNSW.

SURF LIFE SAVING NEW SOUTH WALES

51

REFERENCES

C O A S TA L S A F E T Y R E P O R T S N A P S H OT

COA S TA L A ND OCE A N DROWNING DE ATH S

49

88% 12%

31%

M A LE

BOATIN G A ND PE R SO N A L WATE RCR A F T

FE M A LE

UNINTE NTION A L COA S TA L FATA LITIE S (NOT DROWNING RE L ATE D)

27

36%

47%

LE S S TH A N 1K M FROM A S L S S E RVICE

AT THE B E ACH

S URF LIFE SAVING N S W A ND AUS TR A LI A N LIFEGUA RD S E RVICE

599

11,954

S U RF E M E RG E N C Y RE S P ON S E S YS TE M AC TIVATI O N S

FIR S T A IDS

3,178

749,255

RE S CUE S

PRE VE NTATIVE AC TIO N S

NB: Arrows indicate the direction of change from last year's statistics