According to the Royal Life Saving Society of Australia's 'National Drowning Report 2015', 271 people drowned in Australian waterways in the period 2014/15. Of the total drowning deaths, 216 were men and 55 were women The 45-54 years age-group suffered the largest number of drowning deaths, with 48 drownings (18% of total drownings) 55 (20%) of drowning deaths occurred at beaches. Robert Brander is a coastal geomorphologist with expertise in rip currents and is al...

As we are on the brink of summer and a new triathlon season, the topic of open water swimming is timely. While one of the biggest mental hurdles for newcomers to triathlon is tackling the swim leg, even experienced athletes can be caught by surprise in the open water. Athlete fatalities at multisport events are actually not common when you take into account overall participation numbers. When they do occur, they receive considerable media attention. The open water swim has gained reputation...