Summer in Australia is synonymous with the water. Whether it's a backyard pool party, a day at the beach, or a camping trip by the river, cooling off is a national pastime. But while we often focus on keeping our little ones safe around the water, we sometimes forget that water safety is just as important for adults.
Sadly, drowning statistics often include a significant number of adults. Recent reports from Royal Life Saving Australia indicate that from 2024 to 2025, there were:
- 34 drowning deaths among 25-34 year olds
- 58 drowning deaths among 35-49 year olds
- 74 drowning deaths among 50-64 year olds
- 118 drowning deaths among those aged 65+ years
Those aged 65+ years accounted for the highest drowning rate of all age groups. This serves as a vital reminder that water safety continues to be important even as we get older.
The good news is that it’s never to late to learn swimming and water survival skills. In this guide, we’ll walk you through some essential water safety tips and provide you with informative video resources to help you deepen your knowledge.
Key takeaways
- Never swim alone: Always swim with a friend.
- Active supervision: This means close, continuous supervision without distraction.
- Know your limits: Don't overestimate your fitness level or swimming ability, particularly in deep or moving water.
- Learn survival techniques: Master swimming skills such as floating to survive.
- Avoid risky behaviour: Don’t swim while fatigued, after taking medications, or under the influence of alcohol.
Deep dive: Watch the water safety videos
We’ve created three water safety videos to help adults stay safer in and around the water. Taking just fifteen minutes to watch these videos can make a real difference. We encourage you to share them with your family members or friends to help create a safer environment for everyone.
1. Understanding the risks and dangers
To prevent accidents, it’s important to understand potential dangers. For example, simply being fatigued, overconfident or drinking alcohol could lead to tragedy.
In this video, we explore potential dangers like these, as well as the things you can do to stay safer.
2. How to float to survive, respond to emergencies and more
This video also covers how to recognise and respond to emergencies safely, as well as how to stay safer in rivers and lakes.
Plus, find out how life jackets can help you stay safer in the water.
3. Water safety tips for various situations
In this video, we explain how you can stay safer at the beach, in rivers, pools, flood waters and more.
By understanding what to do in various conditions, you’ll be able to stay out of danger and enjoy the water with confidence.
Enjoying the water safely and with confidence
Water safety for adults ultimately follows similar rules as those for children. Avoid swimming alone, keep an eye on those around you at all times, don’t overestimate your abilities, swim in designated areas, respect water safety rules and signs, and understand what to do in an emergency. As an adult, you must also take additional precautions like avoiding alcohol.
To help you develop your water safety knowledge and skills further, we recommend adult swimming lessons. Whether you’re a beginner dipping their toes in the water for the first time or someone who wants to brush up on their technique, swimming lessons will help you develop valuable skills to enjoy the water with confidence.
Never been to adult swimming lessons before? Learn more about what to expect when learning to swim as an adult.
If you’re looking for more detailed water safety advice to keep the whole family safer, check out our water safety for parents page, where we have even more resources and videos to help you develop your water safety knowledge.