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Updated: May 10, 2026
09:24
A Rapidly Incremented Tethered-Swimming Maximal Protocol for Cardiorespiratory Assessment of Swimmers
Published on: January 28, 2020
Surf lifeguard rescues
Damian Morgan1, Joan Ozanne-Smith
1School of Business and Economics and the Monash Injury Research Institute, Monash University, Victoria, Australia.
Wilderness & Environmental Medicine
|June 22, 2013
Summary
Lifeguard data reveals drowning risk factors for surf bathers. Rescues are more common in certain weather and with more people, with younger males being frequently rescued.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Oceanography
- Emergency Medicine
Background:
- Surf bather safety is a significant public health concern.
- Understanding factors contributing to in-water rescues is crucial for effective drowning prevention strategies.
- Lifeguard data offers a valuable, yet underutilized, resource for analyzing rescue incidents.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the usefulness of lifeguard rescue data.
- To identify person and situation factors associated with surf bather rescues.
- To inform future surf bather drowning prevention research.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 872 beach-days of lifeguard reports from 26 beaches in Victoria, Australia.
- Data collected over a 95-day period.
- Statistical analysis to determine factors influencing rescue likelihood and characteristics.
Main Results:
- The overall rescue rate was 128 per 100,000 in-water bathers.
- Rescues occurred on 14% of beach-days.
- Offshore winds, high temperatures, and large bather numbers increased rescue likelihood (P < .05).
- Males constituted 65% of rescued individuals, with younger bathers (≤30 years) more frequently rescued (P < .05).
- Older age was associated with poorer condition upon rescue.
Conclusions:
- Rescue frequency is influenced by water exposure, but also by situational and personal factors.
- Bathers at higher risk may be more prevalent during favorable sea and weather conditions.
- Poorer condition upon rescue might indicate pre-existing health issues.
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