An alarming rise in the number of drowning deaths has prompted a warning against complacency from Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and a reminder from surf life savers that Australians are not as water-wise as they like to think.
There were 130 coastal drowning deaths in 2015-16, an increase of 24 per cent and the highest number recorded in the past 12 years, the annual National Coastal Safety Report shows. Nine in 10 of the fatalities were males and 15 of the 130 deaths were among people aged 25 to 29.
It was a particularly bad year in NSW, where 53 people drowned compared with a 12-year average of 38.
Melissa King, chief executive of Surf Life Saving Australia, said the report put to bed the "myth" that foreigners were the most likely victims of drowning: 10 per cent of deaths in 2015-16 were international tourists, down from 14 per cent the previous year.
"It's a myth that it's international tourists who are the ones who are getting caught up in trouble, it's actually locals," she said.
The most common cause of coastal drowning was getting caught in a rip current, and research conducted by SLSA found that, while awareness of rips was relatively high, only one in three people could actually identify one. "It's really important for people to actually make themselves aware of what a rip current looks like," Ms King said.
She said drowning was the third leading cause of unintentional injury and death worldwide.
Mr Turnbull launched the report at Bondi Beach on Sunday and implored beach goers to swim between the flags this summer. Of the 130 deaths, nearly half occurred at beaches (including nearby rocks and offshore) but no deaths occurred while swimming under lifeguard patrols.
"Complacency leads to tragedy, that's why we have to be alert all the time," Mr Turnbull said. "You cannot take anything for granted."
