International Water Safety Day

International Water Safety Day is celebrated on the 15th of May each year, to spread awareness about the issue of drowning and its impact. Each year 372,000 people drown worldwide, causing immeasurable heartache for far too many families and communities! 

The hope of International Drowning Prevention Day is to raise awareness and educate young people about the importance of staying safe around water, so we can see drowning statistics fall. There is a lack of water safety education in many communities, especially across low and middle income countries, with 90% of drownings happening in these parts of the world!

Royal Life Saving Society WA is determined to reduce drowning statistics and as such we work hard to educate children, young people and adults right across WA about the importance of water safety, Swim and Survive skills, and appropriate first aid response in the case of a drowning emergency.

The World Health Organization's Global Drowning Report includes some frightening statistics:

• Every hour, every day, more than 40 people lose their lives to drowning;
• 372,000 people drown each year, with those under 5 years at greatest risk;
• Globally, over half of all drowning deaths are among those aged under 25 years; and
• Males are 2 times more likely to drown than females.

Here in WA 37 people lost their lives to drowning in the 2015/16 financial year, a 6% increase on the five year average. Males are five times more likely to drown than females, accounting for 84% of drowning deaths in WA during 2015/16. The largest number of deaths occurred in the 25-54 year age group.

To find out how you can be water safe head to our Your Safety pages and share this information with your friends!