Water safety experts fear missed swimming lessons and a fast-flowing Murray River could lead to drownings this summer.

Key points:

  • Sixteen per cent of Australian children have not attended swimming lessons for over a year
  • Rivers are the leading location for drowning and 100 per cent of deaths in them involved men older than 15
  • Riverland locals are urging people to stay sober, wear a life jacket and not to assume anything about the conditions

Aquatic facilities within South Australia have at times operated at a reduced capacity or closed entirely due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Royal Life Saving Society operations manager Jake Culkin said the absence of swim safety classes may be reflected in the number of drowning accidents this summer.

“We are unfortunately not anticipating a decrease in those drowning statistics anytime soon,” he said.

Rivers are the leading location for drownings across Australia.

Between July 2020 and June 2021, swimming in rivers and creeks accounted for 26 per cent of all drownings, as revealed in this year’s Royal Life Saving National Drowning Report.

That is an increase of 53 per cent from the 2019 to 2020 reporting period.

“[Rivers are] an environment which can be unknown to some people, especially people that aren’t local to the area,” Mr Culkin said.

Swimming in a river can be an unpredictable exercise even for the most confident swimmers, due to fluctuating factors like water flow and depth.

The Murray is currently experiencing its highest flow since 2016.

Chrissie Bloss from the Department of Environment and Water said the river was “quite deep” in many places.

“It can be quite deceptive from the outside before you enter the water, just how fast it’s flowing,” she said.

The Murray River is experiencing its highest flows in years.(Supplied)

Men the ‘highest risk-takers’

Of the 75 river-related drowning deaths listed in the report, nearly 15 per cent of people were aged between 55 and 64, while nearly 19 per cent were in the 35 to 44 age bracket.

In SA, men older than 15 made up 100 per cent of river drowning deaths.

“We find that males seem to be the highest risk-takers in these environments,” Mr Culkin said.

A Swim Australia report revealed that only 37 per cent of Australian parents planned to enrol their children for formal lessons within the next six months, with one in three parents intending to teach their child themselves.

Furthermore, 16 per cent of children have not attended swimming lessons for more than a year.

“Learning to swim in environments such as pools or controlled bodies of water can really increase the skills and increase the lifesaving abilities for environments such as the river,” Mr Culkin said.

Drowning deaths for zero to four-year-olds from July 2020 to June 2021 increased by 108 per cent compared to the 12-months before.(Supplied)

Locals know best

Riverland locals had some advice for anyone planning to swim in the Murray River.

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“Always wear a life jacket, don’t swim if you’ve been drinking and don’t swim alone,” Jean Holdernesse said.

“Never ever jump or dive into the river,” Susan Skujins said.

“Life jackets for all ages,” Craig Richards said.

“Don’t go swimming at Paringa sandbar,” Lyn Schmidt said.

“Life jackets are a must,” Simone Benson said.

“I put my kids in bright coloured rashies and hats and I’ll be getting some reef shoes for everyone this year.”

Luke Chamings advised people to “stay sober”, while Ben Waddelow warned that “even good swimmers fall victim to the currents”.

The Royal Life Saving Society’s Holiday Swim program will commence in the Riverland in December.