Drownings spike on Australia’s booziest public holidays

Summer drownings spike on two particular public holidays, prompting experts to raise the alarm about drinking and swimming this long weekend.

Australia Day and New Year’s Day are the worst days for drowning across the country, according to an analysis of 12 years of fatal and non-fatal incidents, released today.

Of the more than 4000 drownings found in ambulance, death and hospital data between June 2010 and June 2022, 86 were on Australia Day and 115 on New Year’s Day, meaning one in 20 fatal or near-fatal drownings occurred on those two days.

The research, published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, also showed public holidays, school holidays and weekends were associated with higher rates of drowning for every age group except those over 65.

Study co-author and UNSW researcher Dr Amy Peden said alcohol was a contributing factor for many of the deaths.

“We know alcohol is a big issue [and] we need people to be mindful,” she said.

“Alcohol impairs your reaction time … I encourage people to get in the water and do their activity sober and not get back in the water after they’ve had a few drinks.”

Tragedy can stalk the Australian seascape even at its most relaxed, data shows.Credit: Edwina Pickles

There were 323 drowning deaths in Australia’s waterways recorded in Royal Life Saving Australia and Surf Life Saving Australia’s National Drowning Report 2024.

Surf Life Saving Australia chief Steven Pearce said there had been 37 drownings since the start of this season, including 13 since December 1, all in locations without lifesavers on patrol.

Pearce agreed the key message from the research, which did not find as significant spikes in drownings on other public holidays, such as Boxing Day, was: “Don’t drink and swim”.

Peden said swimmers needed to work to prevent an incident.

“[We need to] avoid putting stress on loved ones and rescuers,” she said.

“Swimming at a patrolled beach is one of the most important things you can do, and … knowing how to do CPR effectively and quickly can be the difference between life and death.”

Men aged 65 and over were 17 times more likely to get into fatal and non-fatal drowning incidents than women of the same age.

Peden said people often misunderstood drowning as only fatal. The analysis of ambulance data found 15 non-fatal drownings for every fatal drowning.

Despite public safety messages targeting infants, over the time period studied, drowning disproportionately affected adolescents.

“We need to be supervising children around the water, extending from young children into our 17-year-old age group,” Peden said.

“Don’t assume swimming skills will necessarily keep them safe.”

With a long weekend ahead, experts warn against swimmers putting themselves in danger to save others.

“We do see a lot of rescues on Australia Day, where people see someone else struggling in the water,” said Pearce.

Members of the public who see someone struggling in unpatrolled waters should ring triple zero and throw a pool noodle or another object to help keep the person afloat, he added.

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