Royal Life Saving Australia and Surf Life Saving Australia have released their national drowning report, revealing 313 lives lost in Australian waterways over the past 12 months. The figures have prompted calls to address growing inequalities, with drowning rates significantly higher in regional and remote areas than in major cities.
Listen to Australian and world news and follow trending topics with SBS News Podcasts.
TRANSCRIPT
For millions of Australians, the water is part of everyday life.
A place to swim, escape the heat, or spend time with family.
But every year, hundreds of those trips to Australia's beaches, rivers and pools end in tragedy.
And the latest figures show the problem isn't going away.
The National Drowning Report 2026, released earlier today, has recorded 313 deaths over the past year.
That's down from 357 the year before - but still 10 per cent above the decade average.
Justin Scarr is the chief executive of Royal Life Saving Australia.
“We report numbers, but of course, they're not numbers. These are families. These are people that have lost loved ones over the last 12 months. There are rescuers involved that tried to rescue a person in distress. ... Quite often, it's a local community member, an average Australian, just going about their life that are called to respond to a rescue.”
One of the clearest divides in the new report comes down to postcode.
Drowning rates are almost three times higher in regional Australia than in major cities - and nearly four times higher in remote communities.
The report also found that where country of birth was known, 39 per cent of those who drowned were born overseas.
Doctor Scarr says some communities face particular risks.
“About one in three drownings that we're reporting are people who are born overseas. People in refugee communities and more recently arrived migrants, including international students, are at significantly increased exposure to drowning. We're rolling out the We Swim Multicultural Programme. It's a programme with federal government support where we're offering grants to multicultural groups in communities right across Australia to boost their swimming skills and encourage a feeling of belonging at local pools and also life-saving clubs.”
Community advocate Suresh Rajan says Australia's strong swimming culture isn't necessarily shared by people who grew up elsewhere.
“It's unlike in Australia, where swimming is such a fundamental part of our culture. And having said that, I've lived in this country now for 53 years. I came here as a 15-year-old. I still do not swim. I do not swim because I have never learned to swim, and I have no interest in it whatsoever. I'm fortunate that my children have learned to swim.”
He says for some migrants from landlocked countries, arriving in Australia may also mean encountering the ocean - and its dangers - for the first time.
“They're not likely to ever see water in an ocean until they've come here. So this is the first time they've come here, and they don't understand the treacherous nature of rips. The signage is all in English, and they've never learnt anything about how to deal with these rips, how to deal with the waters, how to deal with the waves.”
Almost half of all drowning deaths happened along the coast - 151 people, including 66 who died at beaches.
But the risk is significantly greater outside Australia's major cities, with drowning rates almost three times higher in regional areas and nearly four times higher in remote communities.
Ben Yew lives in the regional Western Australian city of Bunbury, where the coast was one of the reasons he chose to raise his family.
“When I drove them to school, we passed by the beach, like, wow! I can't believe we live in this dream. You know, the beach, the lighthouse, and it's so quiet. Maybe Perth in a city beach, you got a lot more people at certain time. In Back Beach, there are times there's no one. You literally have the whole beach yourself.”
But the isolation has another side.
Ben says he watches his 10-year-old son Aidan closely in the water, because conditions can change in seconds.
“My son could have just went in there, and just when I turn away, look at my phone, he could have been hit by a wave and get tumbling inside there with an undercurrent. And within five seconds, 10 seconds, if you don't react quick, he's gone. And the thing is this: when he's underwater, you couldn't see him. So how could you help someone if you can't see that?”
The danger isn't confined to the coast, with 90 deaths in inland waterways, including 68 in rivers and creeks.
Age is another concern.
While drowning among children under five is 39 per cent below the decade average, 95 people aged 65 and over drowned - almost a third of all deaths.
And with drowning rates above the decade average for every age group over 45, the report warns Australia is not on track to halve drowning deaths by 2030.
