THE INTERNATIONAL BEACH SAFETY PROJECT
32 international students have drowned in Australian waters over the last 10 years. These deaths equate to over 1500 years of life lost. Poor swimming skills and limited water awareness were amongst the leading contributing factors to their deaths, so with more strategic aquatic education, these lives could have been saved.
Be Safe aims to prevent fatalities of international students due to drowning, minimize the incidents of near drownings, and avoid injuries incurred at the beach.
Be Safe takes action to increase beach safety awareness by teaching: the significance of swimming between the flags on the beach, how to recognize dangerous waves and rips, and how to signal for or find help when someone is in trouble in the water.
International students are then given a basic first aid course and are taught what creatures to avoid on the beach, and what to do if they come into contacts with them such as the stonefish, harmful jellyfish, and common venomous snakes such as brown and tiger snake. The students are then shown around the club to learn what lifesavers do day to day and experience Australian culture with a sausage sizzle.
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