Hello sparrowhawke, good reminder thread.
In Australia, when a person gets into trouble in the waters off a beach, they put their hand up.
My mother, and a friend from inland Europe, were at a beach where there were no lifeguards. While the friend was reading a book, my mother went for a swim and got caught in a rip (strong current) and taken out to deeper waters. The friend looked up and saw my mother with her hand up, so the friend waved back to her and returned to reading her book. The next time the friend looked up again, my mother could not be seen, she had drowned.
The (out-of-town) friend was not to blame, she did not know the dangers of the sea.
My mother knew she was not a good swimmer, and she never ventured deeper than her chest. A rip is usually found where there is a channel carved into the sand, making the water there deeper. It only takes to a slight pull of the water to suddenly be in deeper waters of danger. It is not wise to swim alone on a beach, even on a beach with no lifeguards.
Lifeguards in Australia are volunteers. It is impossible to even have lifeguards at every populated beach. Many beaches are closed due to dangerous waters shown there at that time. Lifeguards are generally not at closed beaches.
Every summer, in Australia, many tourists drown at our beaches. Nearly all who have drowned were not very good swimmers, swimming where there is no lifeguards, and most importantly unfamiliar with the dangers involved with moving waters like a beach.
We have many surfers (board and body surfing). Those with experience are not only good swimmers, nut know what to do when caught in a rip. They do not panic or try to swim (besides testing the current strength) to get out of it. They let the rip carry them until it slows down enough, or stop, to swim around it. Sometimes a rip will take you out a fair way from the shore. It still takes a good swimmer to swim the distance around and away from the rip to the safe of land.
