He said a child can drown in a matter of seconds in any body of water – including bathtubs and showers – and it may happen without any sound or splashing.
“Children, particularly under 5, don’t struggle, they don’t call out, they don’t make noise, they just slip silently into the water,” he said.
“Older children who can’t swim can also drown in pools. They’re not any safer.”
‘If we can’t see you, we can’t save you’
Matt Thompson from Surf Life Saving Queensland joined the Childrens Hospital’s appeal, asking Queenslanders to swim between the flags at beaches, where they can be helped if needed.
There have been 500 rescues of children outside the flagged areas on our beaches, he said, which was four times as many as in the flagged areas.
“Most of our drownings are happening outside of patrolled times and outside of patrolled areas, and that goes for our rescues as well,” he said.
“Even swimming 100 metres down the beach away from a flagged area means that that extra layer of safety is not there.”
When surf lifesavers were not present, Thompson said people should “stop, take a look at conditions, remind yourselves of your own limitations … before you get into having a good day”.
“Be safe this summer, swim between the red yellow flags. If we can’t see you, we can’t save you.”
“One drowning is one too many … since mid-August we’ve already had 11 beach-related drownings. That’s more than we had this time last year, and it’s ahead of the five-year average.”
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