An urgent warning has been issued to parents and families after a shocking number of rescues took place in waterways across the country.
For more, Surf Lifesaving Victoria Commander Kane Treloar at Port Melbourne beach joins.
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Well, now we want to take the next few minutes to issue a really important and very urgent warning to everyone watching, but especially to parents and families who are enjoying the warm summer weather. Now, over the weekend, we had a shocking and extraordinary number of rescues in waterways right across the country. Now, in Victoria alone, lifeguards conducted their highest number of beach rescues in 20 years. On Saturday, 145 people needed help in the water, including mass rescues at two different locations, one man drowning on the Mornington Peninsula, on Sunday. Another 21 people were saved. Authorities attended 32 separate medical incidents. We had to talk to you about this this morning, so we're brought in Surf Life Saving Victoria Commander, Kayne Trillor, who's at Port Melbourne Beach. Welcome to you, Kayne. Thanks for being with us. You've been on the job 20 years. You say you've never seen a day like Saturday with so many rescues, what on earth was going on? Yeah, good morning, Monique, and thanks for talking to us this morning. Look, our volunteers and lifeguards did an incredible job. It's still unpacking what went on over the weekend, but we know that certainly people flocked to beaches right across the state, are looking to get a bit of respite from the summer heat. Okay, so was there anything that was particularly dangerous about Saturday, or just that it was more people in the water? Look, we certainly saw some surf across both the Mornington Peninsula and across the Surf Coast, but it wasn't at a point where we were closing beaches right along the coastline, but we saw high numbers of people right across Port Phillip Bay, and that's what we're attributing this large number too. Okay, worryingly, you're noticing that lots of people are finding secluded swimming spots, right, that are away from rescue teams. Let's talk about what needs to be done here. Kids, of course, need swim survival lessons, and most of them have that, but what about adults? Should we be retort or perhaps taut for the first time? Well, the most important thing we're doing when we're heading to the beach is taking responsibility for ourselves and having a plan before we head out for the day. People can head across to beachsafe.org.au and find out where a safe place is for them to swim. There's amazing swimming places right across the country, and there's always somewhere safe that's within a reasonable distance of you where you'll be able to be safe and enjoy the water as well. Okay, and when you're saying safe, obviously, the conditions, but also close to someone who can save you. Now, if you get into trouble, what should you do? Well, rip currents remain the biggest killer on our beaches, and a popular misconception is that a rip current will pull you under the water, and that's simply not the case. If you're exhausted, if you find yourself in a rip current, you should float on your back and raise your arm for assistance, and get one of those people that you've brought along to the beach to keep an eye on you, to raise the alarm and get one of us to come and help you. Okay, if you see somebody in trouble, if you see someone in trouble, if their lifeguards are nearby, go and alert them. Otherwise, ring triple zero. Ask for the police, and they'll arrange someone to come and assist you. Yeah, all right. Look, thanks very much, Kay, and best of luck getting through the rest of the summer. It's going to be a hot one, and so really busy. A great reminder.
