Beach safety
9-minute read
The beach is one of Australia’s most recognisable and enjoyable features. Here is how can we enjoy a day at the beach safely and help prevent accidents or injury.
To make sure you are safe when swimming at the beach:
Find the red and yellow flags and swim between them.Look at, understand and obey the safety signs.Ask a lifeguard or lifesaver for advice before you enter the water.Get a friend to swim with you.Stick your hand up, stay calm, and call for help if you get into trouble.
You should also conserve your energy by floating on your back and staying calm if you are in trouble. This will ensure you have the energy to remain afloat until assistance arrives.
Find the red and yellow flags and swim between them.
Who are lifeguards and lifesavers?
Lifeguards and lifesavers are people who supervise you and provide advice about beach conditions. You should also note what uniform your life-saving service is wearing when you go to the beach so you know what to look for in an emergency.
What do the beach safety flags mean?
Every beach has permanent and occasional hazards that you will need to look out for. Lifesaving services use safety flags to help identify these hazards and to indicate supervised areas.
These are:
Red and yellow flags show the supervised area of the beach that a lifesaving service is operating. The absence of red and yellow flags indicates there is no supervision. NO FLAGS = NO SWIM.A red flag indicates that the beach is closed and you should not enter the waterA black and white chequered flag indicates the area where board riding and surfing is not permitted.
Beach safety flags
Flag images: Courtesy of Surf Lifesaving Association
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RED & YELLOW: Area operated by a lifesaving service
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RED: Beach is closed - you should not enter the water
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BLACK& WHITE: Board riding and surfing is not permitted
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YELLOW: Potential hazards in the water
What do the beach safety signs mean?
Beach safety signs can be different shapes and colours. They tell you about the beach and conditions.
Warning signs are diamond-shaped and yellow and black. They warn you about hazards at the beach such as ‘unexpected large waves’ or ‘swimming not advised’.Regulatory signs are a red circle with a diagonal line through a black image. They are used to inform you about prohibited activities at that beach such as ‘no swimming’ or ‘surfboard riding between flags prohibited’.Information signs are square shaped and blue and white. They are used to provide information about features at that beach such as ‘patrolled beach’ or ‘surfboard riding’.Safety signs are square-shaped and green and white. They are used to indicate a safety provision nearby or to provide safety advice such as ‘emergency telephone’, ‘first aid’ or ‘lifesaving equipment’.
Beach safety signs
Beach safety sign images: Courtesy of Surf Lifesaving Association
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WARNING: Large waves
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REGULATORY: No swimming
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INFORMATION: Patrolled beach
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SAFETY: First aid
Do I need to worry about rip currents?
Rip currents (sometimes called a 'rip') are the number one hazard on Australian beaches and cause on average 19 deaths every year. These are strong currents beginning around the shore that run away from the beach. Being caught in one may feel like you are in a flowing/moving river. Not all rip currents flow directly out to sea. Some may run parallel to the beach before ultimately heading out to sea.
If you find yourself in a rip current, follow these steps:
Do not panic.Raise an arm and call out for help, you may be rescued.Float with the current, it may return you to a shallow sandbank.Swim parallel to the beach or towards the breaking waves until you escape the rip current.
What should I know about waves and a large surf?
While waves are one of the most enjoyable features of the beach and ocean, they are affected by different conditions.
Plunging/dumping waves break suddenly and can knock you over and throw you to the bottom with great force. These waves usually occur at low tide where sandbanks are shallow. They can cause injuries to swimmers, particularly spinal and head injuries, so you should never try and bodysurf on one of these waves. If in doubt ask a lifesaver or lifeguard for safety advice.
Spilling waves have white water tumbling down the face of the wave. They usually have less force and are the safest for body surfing. They are found in sheltered bays where the sea floor slopes gradually, and near sandbanks at high tide.
Surging waves may never actually break as they approach the water’s edge because the water below them is very deep. These waves occur in rocky areas around cliff faces and where the beach drops off quickly. They can be very dangerous because they can knock swimmers over and drag them back into deep water.
Large surf should only be attempted by experienced swimmers, and only between the red and yellow flags. Swimmers should also avoid creek and river mouths when a large surf is running because the currents in these areas are often stronger.
How can I keep my children safe at the beach?
While lifeguards and lifesavers watch over you and your children when in the water, children require constant parent/adult supervision when visiting the beach or when they are around any body of water. You should:
Keep them at arms' reach at all times.Put them in bright swimming suits and rash shirts which are easy to see.Identify an easy to find point on the beach, such as the lifeguard tower, where the child can go to if you are separated.
Why is it dangerous to drink alcohol at the beach?
Every year many people get into difficulty, both on the beach and in the surf, due to the effects of alcohol. Drinking alcohol and swimming is a dangerous combination leading to impaired judgement, lack of co-ordination and reaction time, and an inability to control your body temperature.
What about sharks and stingers?
On average, shark attacks injure a few people every year, but over the same period about more than 100 people drown along our coast. While there are over 170 species of sharks in Australian waters, only a few are perceived to be dangerous. For more information on staying safe from sharks go to the Beachsafe website.
Non-tropical marine stingers, such as the Bluebottle (physalia) or Hair Jelly (cyanea), may be found anywhere on the Australian coastline, but usually south of tropical Queensland (south of Bundaberg) and south of tropical Western Australia (south of Geraldton). Their stingers are not generally life-threatening but can cause distress and discomfort if you come into contact with them.
Tropical marine stingers, such as the Irukandji and Box Jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri), are classed as 'dangerous'. Caution must be exercised when entering tropical waters during the ‘marine stinger season’, which generally runs from November to March.
If you are stung, or are with someone else who has been stung, the treatment will vary depending on your location and what type of stinger is involved. In areas where dangerous tropical jellyfish are found, and the species causing the sting cannot be clearly identified, it is safer to treat the patient with vinegar. The treatment is as follows:
Remove the patient from the water and restrain if necessary.Call for help dial triple zero (000) or get a surf lifesaver or lifeguard to help you.Assess the patient and commence CPR as necessary.Liberally douse the stung area with vinegar to neutralise invisible stinging cells — do not wash with freshwater.If vinegar is unavailable, pick off any remnants of the tentacles (preferably with gloves) and rinse the sting well with seawater (not freshwater).Apply a cold pack.Seek medical assistance and transport to the hospital immediately.
For Bluebottle stings:
Keep the patient at rest and under constant observation.If it's a major sting to the face or neck, dial triple zero (000) immediately and ask for an ambulance (especially if there is swelling).Do not allow rubbing of the sting area.Pick off any remaining tentacles with fingers (a harmless prickling may be felt).Rinse the sting area well with seawater to remove any invisible stinging cells.Place the patient’s sting area in hot water (no hotter than the rescuer can comfortably tolerate). If the pain is unrelieved by the heat, or if hot water is not available, apply cold packs or wrapped ice.Don't use vinegar or rub sand on the sting.
For other non-tropical minor jellyfish stings:
Keep the patient at rest and under constant observation.Do not allow rubbing of the sting area.Pick off any remaining tentacles with fingers (a harmless prickling may be felt).Rinse the sting area well with seawater (not freshwater) to remove any invisible stinging cells.Apply cold packs or wrapped ice for pain.If local pain is unrelieved by these treatments, or generalised pain develops, or the sting area is large (half of a limb or more), or if the patient appears to be suffering an allergic reaction to the sting, seek urgent medical help dial triple zero (000) and get a surf lifesaver or lifeguard.
For more information go to sea creature stings.
Why is rock fishing dangerous?
While rock fishing is enjoyed by many people around the Australian coast, it has also been dubbed one of Australia’s most dangerous sports. Rock platforms, like beaches, are subject to the same unpredictable conditions.
To keep safe when rock fishing:
Never fish by yourself.Tell others of your plans.Wear lightweight clothing and appropriate footwear.Carry safety gear.Fish only in places you know are safe — never in exposed areas during rough or large seas.Plan an escape route in case you are washed in.Observe conditions and stay alert.Ask for advice from locals who know the area.Do not jump in if someone is washed into the water.
For more safety tips go to the Safe Fishing website.
How do spinal injuries happen at the beach?
Every year, a number of spinal injuries occur around the beach by accident, and through participation in high-risk activities. They most commonly happen by:
being dumped head first by a wavediving head first into the waterjumping off rocks (sometimes called ‘tombstoning’)hitting submerged objects other than the sea floor
Any neck soreness or pain should be treated as a potential spinal injury.
Where can I find out more information about beach safety?
Volunteer lifesavers have saved more than 10,000 lives each year and spend more than 1.3 million hours a year patrolling our beaches, pools and coastlines. They also provide information about beach and coastal safety on their website at Surfe Life Saving website and information about Australian beaches at Beachsafe website.