Accident Analysis and Prevention 42 (2010) 1785–1804 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Accident Analysis and Prevention journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/aap Beachgoers’ beliefs and behaviours in relation to beach flags and rip currents Shauna Sherker a , Ann Williamson b,* , Julie Hatfield a , Rob Brander c , Andrew Hayen d a NSW Injury Risk Management Research Centre, Building G2, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia b Department of Aviation, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia c Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia d School Public Health, Edward Ford Building, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia article info Article history: Received 15 December 2009 Received in revised form 20 April 2010 Accepted 26 April 2010 Keywords: Drowning prevention Beach safety Rip currents Swimming behaviour abstract Background: Coastal drownings claim on average 82 people per year in Australia. Beach flags are a primary safety strategy used on beaches. They are located away from rip currents, which are the main beach hazard affecting swimmers. Little is known about the behavioural and motivational factors associated with people choosing where to swim in relation to flags and rips. Aims: To assess the beliefs and behaviours of beachgoers in relation to beach flags and rip currents. Methods: Beachgoers at beaches in NSW were interviewed about their swimming beliefs and behaviours. They were asked to indicate on pictures depicting beach scenarios involving beach flags and fixed rip cur- rents, where they would and would not swim. Logistic regression analysis was undertaken to determine predictors of correct and incorrect swimming behaviour. Results: Beachgoers who are aged from 30 to 49 years (OR 0.34, 95% CI 0.16, 0.74, p = 0.006) are less likely to choose to swim between the flags than other swimmers. In addition, beachgoers who are at the beach with children are significantly more likely to choose to swim between the flags (OR 2.74, 95% CI 1.39, 5.40, p = 0.004). Beachgoers with basic knowledge about rip currents are significantly more likely to swim away from the rip (OR 11.59, 95% CI 5.89, 22.81, p < 0.001). Discussion and conclusions: Ocean swimmers aged from 30 to 49 years may choose to swim outside the flags, though they may not necessarily be swimming in the rip. Swimming outside of the flags may be linked with experience. The flags appear to be attractive to parents and carers of children. Whilst the flags indicate a relatively safe area of the beach, it is still vitally important for parents and carers to supervise children in this area. Basic rip current knowledge is an essential component in developing national interventions aimed at reducing coastal drowning. Beachgoers clearly need to know what a rip looks like in order to actively avoid swimming in it. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Drowning is a major public health problem with substantial personal, societal and economic costs and is ranked as the fourth leading cause of unintentional injury death in Australia (Australian Water Safety Council, 2004). Australia has more than 30,000 km of coastline and 10,685 beaches (Short, 2006), but only 3% are patrolled by lifesavers and lifeguards (Farmer, 2009). An average of 82 people suffer fatal drowning annually on Australian beaches (Surf Life Saving Australia, 2008). Many of these drownings are attributable to rip currents. Rip currents are strong, narrow sea- ward flowing currents that extend from the shoreline and through * Corresponding author. Tel.: +61 2 9385 4599; fax: +61 2 9385 6637. E-mail address: A.Williamson@unsw.edu.au (A. Williamson). the surf zone. Rips are potentially extremely dangerous being char- acterised by mean flow speeds on the order of 0.5–1 m/s and often exhibit pulsatory flow behaviour, with flow speeds doubling in a matter of seconds (Brander and Short, 2001). They can exist under low to moderate surf conditions and the combination of water depth and wave and current action can cause adults to lose their footing (Short and Hogan, 1994). Swimmers can be carried quickly considerable distances offshore into deeper water, often resulting in panic and fatigue. Indeed, rip currents are associated with 89% of rescues (Short and Hogan, 1994) and at least 22% of recreational surf beach drownings (Morgan et al., 2008). Anecdotal evidence suggests that this value is much higher, but accurate reporting of rip incidents is logistically difficult to obtain. In fact, it is well estab- lished that rip currents are unequivocally the main natural hazard for beachgoers at surf beaches around the world (Hartmann, 2006; Klein et al., 2003; Scott et al., 2007; Short, 2007). The importance of rips as a risk factor for drowning is reinforced by evidence on the 0001-4575/$ – see front matter © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.aap.2010.04.020