Dr Jeff Wilks Surf Life Saving Australia Tourists and Water Safety

Important Selection Considerations from: FutureBrand Country Brand Index

Best Country Brand for Beach Bahamas (1) 2.Maldives (2) 3.Fiji + (4) 4.Brazil 5.Greece + (8) 6.Australia - (3) 7.Jamaica - (5) 8.Dominican Republic 9.Thailand - (7) 10.Cuba Pristine beaches, from remote to mainstream

 Drowning is a leading cause of tourist deaths  Tourists recognised as an ‘at risk’ group requiring assistance (Australian Water Safety Council)  Poor swimming ability  Unfamiliar environment/activities  Language barriers  Holiday behaviour  International review of travellers and water safety (2006) recommended lifeguard services Tourist Water Safety

Females Males O/s tourists Total Years Seven-year comparison of Drowning Deaths in QLD

2001 4Indian (1), Japanese (1), Chinese (1), English (1) Chinese (2), Singaporean (1), English (3), Swiss (1), Japanese (3), South African (1) English (2), Japanese (2), Czech Rep (1), German (1), Fijian (1), Taiwanese (1) German (1) Korean (1), Vietnamese (1), Austrian (1), Irish (1), Singaporean (1), Chinese (1), Asian (1) Japanese (2), Indian (1) Korean (2), English (1), Slovakian (1) International Drowning Deaths by Nationality

Scuba Diving and Snorkelling Deaths – QLD  35 diving and 23 snorkelling deaths  Majority of deaths involved international visitors – most from English speaking countries  USA (25), GB (10), Australian (9), Germany (3), Netherlands (3), France (2), Japan (2), Canada (1), China (1), Singapore (1), Columbia (1)  Snorkel deaths – cardiac events (15), hypoxic blackout (4), drowning (9), Irukandji envenomation (2)  Dive deaths – cardiac (8), Cerebral arterial gas embolism (6), drowning (4)  Poor dive skills; buddy separation

 No standardised databases or consistent sources of information  Web and newspapers provide ‘snapshot’ Third tourist drowning in Phuket in two days – Sunday 15 July 2007 –  32 year old Saudi (swimming, large wave engulfed him)  Singaporian tourist drowned while swimming on the same beach the day before  A Russian national died while swimming at another beach on Saturday Asia Pacific findings

Legal Considerations  It is well established that those in charge of beaches owe a duty of care to swimmers using beaches under their control  The extent to which local authorities and resorts will be held liable for inadequate supervision and warnings is in a state of refinement - Beach Safety and the Law Summit  Enright v Coolum Resort Pty Ltd (2002)  EU Directive on Package Travel  Jones v Sunworld – resorts may have duty of care responsibilities for lagoons  General duties under Workplace Health and Safety 500 m

ALS performance SLSA Lifeguard Actions during the season Lives Saved (Rescues)2,218 Resuscitations35 First Aid Treatments4,406 Stings6,706 Preventative Actions255,732 The chance of drowning at a beach protected by lifeguards is estimated to be less than one in 18 million (USLA)

Case Study Fiji Outrigger Resort

 Lifeguards in both public and private settings  Staff education and training (first aid, CPR, defibrillators)  Regular water safety audits and inspections, including signage  Annual accreditations under WHS legislation  A managed ‘serious injury’ database for the Asia Pacific region Best practice