Public Understanding on Rip Currents and Beach Safety at Teluk Cempedak Recreational Beach of Pahang, Malaysia

A cross-sectional study was conducted to examine the public understanding of rips currents at Teluk Cempedak Recreational Beach of Pahang, Malaysia, from November 2020 to March 2021 via a questionnaire survey. Convenient sampling was used to collect data from 300 respondents. The questionnaire consisted of 24 questions, encompassing five sections, i.e., the demographic background, frequency of visiting the beach, swimming ability, their knowledge of rip currents, and understanding of beach safety. Associations between the study variables and the knowledge of both rip currents and beach safety were evaluated using the independent sample t-test, Chi-square test, and multiple logistic regressions at the confidence level of 0.05. In general, only 86% of the respondent knew about the rip currents. For beach safety knowledge, 83% of the respondents on the lifeguard facilities, 44% for the yellow red-flag and 93.7% for the red flag. Variables such as gender (knowledge of rip currents: Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 0.647, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.487 - 0.60, p = 0.003; beach safety: AOR = 0.665, 95% CI = 1.14 - 5.02, p = 0.021), locality (knowledge of rip currents: AOR = 2.482, 95% CI = 1.407 - 4.380, p = 0.002, beach safety: AOR = 1.821, 95% CI = 1.022 - 3.245, p = 0.042), and respondents’ experience of having problems in water activities (knowledge of rip currents: AOR = 0.170, 95% CI = 0.635 - 6.379, p = 0.000) were significantly associated with the knowledge of both rip currents and beach safety. Further studies are essential to enhance public understanding of rip currents and hence the beach safety in Malaysia.

Identifying risk factors and implications for beach drowning prevention amongst an Australian multicultural community

Multicultural communities in Australia are recognised as a priority area for drowning prevention, but no evidence-based study has addressed their knowledge of beach safety. This study used an online survey tool to identify and examine risk factors relating to swimming ability, beach visitation characteristics and behaviour, and beach safety knowledge of the Australian Southern Asian community to assist in the development of future beach safety interventions. Data was obtained through 249 online and in-person surveys of people aged > 18 years. Most respondents reported poor swimming ability (80%), often swam in in the absence of lifeguards (77%), did not understand the rip current hazard (58%), but reported that they entered the water (76%) when visiting beaches. Close to one-quarter (28%) had not heard, or didn’t know the purpose, of the red and yellow beach flags, which identify lifeguard supervised areas on Australian beaches. Length of time living in Australia is an important beach safety consideration for this community, with minimal differences in terms of gender and age. Those who have lived < 10 years in Australia visit beaches more frequently and are less likely to have participated in swimming lessons, be able to swim, heard of the flags or swim between them, understand rip currents, or have participated in a beach safety program. Very few (3%) respondents received beach safety information from within their own community. The importance of beach safety education and swimming lessons within the Southern Asian community should be prioritised for new and recent migrants to Australia.

Drowning Risk Analysis Comparing Surf Bather Subgroups

The study assessed the utility of risk analysis for advancing knowledge on drowning risk factors. The setting was unintentional drowning of surf bathers in Australia. Bathers reported earlier exposure to selected risk factors (swimming ability, wave height associated with rip currents and surf bathing experience) and were observed for water exposure (in minutes). These data were then assembled in mathematical models. The analysis forecast relative drowning risk pertaining to risk markers representing selected surf bather subgroups (gender, age and water activity). Contextualized through previous study findings, comparison of results with a gold standard obtained from mortality data generated new surf bather drowning hypotheses suitable for future testing by rigorous analytical epidemiologic designs. The hypotheses were: (1) The male to female comparative surf bather drowning rate is explained primarily by differences in crude water exposure; (2) the association of cardio-vascular medical conditions with surf bather drowning is stronger for older surf bathers compared to younger surf bathers; and (3) other risk contributors to surf bather drowning are: Poorly calibrated perception of bathing ability (overconfidence) and use of alcohol. Nonetheless, drowning rates appear generally consistent with time exposure to water. The study findings may also support drowning prevention strategies targeting risk marker subgroups.

Identification of Rip Current Hazards Using Fluorescent Dye And Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (A Case Study Of Drini Beach, Gunungkidul, Indonesia)

Coastal tourism is a leading sector substantially contributing to the regional income of Gunungkidul Regency, Indonesia. However, with more tourists visiting the beach, more lives are threatened by coastal hazards. Rip currents are a channel of powerful, narrow, fast-moving water that can carry floating objects away from the shore, presenting one of the most common coastal hazards to swimmers. Unfortunately, most tourists are unaware of rip currents and their threats and how to avoid them. This study was designed to identify the types and dimensions of rip current in one of the regency’s tourist attractions, Drini Beach. For this purpose, an environmentally friendly fluorescent dye, Uranine, was injected from the shoreline, then the velocity and direction of its movements were observed from aerial video footage captured with a drone. Results showed stationary rip currents with a narrow channel, called a channel rip, with the mean dimensions: 250 m from the shoreline to the head and 10.25 m in width. A break in the reef flat can mostly generate rip currents at Drini Beach. It creates an area that is deeper than the surrounding reef flats through which water and the transported coastal sediments can flow easily offshore. Rip currents identified in this research provide the basis for disaster mitigation measures to reduce fatality.

Rip current rescues on unguarded beaches

Rip currents are the greatest danger at surf beaches. Professional lifeguards rescue tens of thousands of people every year at U.S. beaches, but only a small percentage of the nation’s beaches are guarded. Oftentimes it is a young person who is caught in a rip current, and a bystander will attempt a rescue without a flotation device. The U.S. Lifesaving Association strongly suggests that this kind of rescue should not be undertaken because too often the rescuer will drown. Some coastal towns such as Cocoa Beach in Florida are now posting ring buoys on their unguarded beaches with the warning to throw, but not to go into the water. Ring buoys of two different weights were tested for efficiency when thrown in terms of distance and accuracy. The participants threw the ring buoys two different ways: one way of their choosing (un-instructed) and second by Red Cross recommendation (instructed). The buoyancy was also tested for each buoy. While these flotation devices have some merit, they clearly have limitations.