Surf life savers are urging swimmers to heed warnings and plan ahead before going to the beach, after the weekend's heatwave sparked an unprecedented number of rescues. Despite the rise the number of drowning fatalities is down, compared to last summer, but lifesavers say the death toll is still far too high.
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00:00A weekend of ocean emergencies. Almost 200 rescues in Victoria alone.
00:09When you consider all of last summer we performed 849 rescues, it's one of the busiest weekends
00:14that we can remember.
00:1540 people have drowned across Australia this summer.
00:19Every drowning is preventable and no one that ever gets rescued by a lifesaver expects to
00:22be the person that needs to be rescued.
00:24The biggest danger, rips.
00:26Unfortunately a lot of people mistake a rip for a safe place to swim because they don't
00:31see waves breaking in it.
00:33It's almost one year since four people drowned in a rip at a remote beach on Phillip Island.
00:39It's an enormous tragedy. It does leave a really profound effect on surf lifesavers
00:43and other first responders.
00:46With a long summer ahead, lifesavers are pleading with the public to avoid unpatrolled beaches.
00:52Every drowning death this summer has occurred outside the flags.
00:55If they can't see you, they can't save you.
00:58But they'll always try and the next generation at Woolamai Beach Surf Lifesaving Club is
01:03ready to help.
01:04First, they need their bronze medallion.
01:07I feel really ready.
01:08Grace Murphy has wanted this since she was a nipper.
01:11I've waited a really long time to get my bronze.
01:15And today's the day.
01:17Set, go!
01:18Sixty teenagers battle the elements as they run, swim and rescue their way to success.
01:26Becoming fully-fledged surf lifesavers.
01:29I'm ecstatic.
01:31The volunteers redo their bronze every year.
01:34In between, they train hard.
01:36Slow, slow, slow.
01:38So they're always ready.
01:40Today, it's a training exercise.
01:44The rescue's not real, but the skills are.
01:47And in a real-life emergency, they can mean the difference between life or death.
01:52They want the public to prepare as well.
01:54The best way you can do that and help lifesavers is swim between the flags at a patrolled beach.