Canberrans urged to play it safe in the surf at the south coast

There has been much to say about the driving behaviour of those on the Kings Highway and other regional roads this week already with tragedy occurring too often.

But the great coastal pilgrimage will start for real on New Year's Day when hordes of people make their way to the south coast for the annual beach trip.

While the great majority will have a pleasant holiday away from the nation's capital there will be those who end up in difficulties in the surf.

Lifeguarding Services Australia reports that Canberrans normally make up more than 90 per cent of rescues on south coast beaches patrolled by the service over summer.

While no swimmers from our region have needed to be rescued so far this is expected to change as the peak visiting time arrives this week.

Last full summer there were 107 rescues for the season.

It is reasonable to expect that Canberra would be heavily represented in rescues at the beach given the huge numbers of us that take over the coastal communities at this time of year.

But it is still a concern that so many people are finding themselves in trouble at the coast; be it through risky behaviour or inexperience in surf conditions.

Education and awareness remain the best ways of minimising the need for rescue and indeed many of the tragic deaths that occur along the NSW coast each year.

This is why it is of huge concern that landlocked Canberra kids appear to miss out on this critical life skill - In 2016 the Royal Life Saving Society noted that only one in seven children could swim 50 metres by the end of year 6.

Surf Life Saving NSW issued a safety plea to beachgoers in the week leading up to Christmas after three coastal drowning deaths.

According to the 2017 NSW Coastal Safety Report the number of coastal drownings fell from 53 in 2015/16 to 31 in the most recent financial year.

Over half of all coastal drowning deaths recorded were as a direct result of either swimming/wading or rock fishing.

This summer when you're having fun remember to remain vigilant of the ever present danger of the surf.