The statistics on drowning deaths and non-fatal drowning incidents in WA’s South West region are greatly concerning, and highlight the need for increased water safety education and training in the region.
Between 2009-2019 there were 132 drowning incidents recorded in the South West region. 43 of those were drowning deaths, with a further 89 people hospitalised following a non-fatal drowning incident. The region had the third highest drowning rate in WA, at a rate of 8.4 drownings per 100,000 people.
The top activities which led to these incidents were:
- Recreating (23%)
- Watercraft (19%)
- Swimming (16%)
The top locations where incidents took place were:
- Ocean/Harbour (33%)
- Beach (33%)
- Lake/Dam/Lagoon (16%)
Some contributing factors, among others, were remote or very remote locations (67%), environmental factors such as poor weather or water conditions (42%), inexperience or unfamiliarity with a location (40%), and participating alone (37%).
Of the incidents where alcohol was a contributing factor (19%), the average blood-alcohol concentration was more than three times the legal limit for driving (0.157%).
79% of those who drowned were male, with males 3.5 times more likely to drown than females.
78% of incidents involved people born in Australia, however almost all of these people were visiting the area as a tourist.
Priority areas for drowning prevention include:
- Males – they are 3.5 times more likely to drown than females in the South West region
- Toddlers aged 0-4 years
- Adults aged 25-34 years
- People swimming alone
- Water safety in remote or very remote areas
You can download our snapshot of drowning data in the South West below.