Tasmanian beaches and waterways are expected to be as popular as ever this summer, highlighting the important service Surf Life Saving Tasmania performs across our communities and underlining the need for greater vigilance around the water.
Today also marks National Water Safety Day, and Minister for Sport and Recreation Nic Street joined Surf Life Saving Tasmania to encourage people to safely enjoy our beaches and rivers as the weather heats up.
“With a longer, hotter summer on the cards this year, getting down to the water is a great way to get active and enjoy your holiday break – but it isn’t worth your life,” Minister Street said.
“It’s important to be aware of our own capabilities in the water, our surroundings, and what help is on hand.
“We need to remember water safety basics like wearing a life jacket when boating, checking safety equipment before heading out, swimming between the flags when at the beach and reading warning signs around our coastal waterways.
“This weekend marks the beginning of the Surf Life Saving Patrol season around Tasmania with surf lifesavers set to patrol our popular beaches over the warmer months – and they do a fantastic job.
“Our volunteer surf lifesavers provide about 24,000 volunteer patrol hours on our beaches and coastal waterways right around Tasmania, but we don’t want to make their job any harder by taking risks.
“These volunteer lifesavers are everyday heroes who give up their time to play this role and are important parts of our communities. I want to thank them for the role that they have played over countless summers.
“Even with this great support in place we need to take responsibility for our own safety around the water and be proactive in keeping ourselves, our friends and family safe in, on and around water.
“We want to see Tasmanians enjoying the opportunity to be active in and around coastal waterways in a safe manner.”
