In my column a few weeks back I touched on the fact that the National Drowning Report 2025 reported the highest number of drowning deaths since records began, many of which were in the teenage age group.
New research shows that the risk of drowning rises sharply for teenagers, surging 1300 per cent or 13 times, between the ages of 10 and 20 years.
Worryingly, the new data shows that drowning in 15–20-year-olds has increased by 34 per cent in the five years since 2021 (COVID-19 pandemic), compared to the five years prior. Royal Life Saving estimates that over 10 million swimming lessons were missed due to the pandemic.
Five years on, many of those children are teenagers, who can’t swim but are likely to be exposed to drowning in rivers and beaches, where strong swimming skills are important.
So, what can be done to address this? Royal Life Saving Australia is urging parents to enrol their eight, nine and 10-year-olds in swimming and water safety lessons as soon as possible, warning that too many children miss out on the vital skills that keep them safe, as teenagers and young adults, when drowning risk increases 13-fold.
Research shows 60 per cent of kids start lessons before age three, but most have dropped out before age seven. Royal Life Saving is reminding parents that learning to swim as a young child is a great start – but it’s often not enough to keep them safe as teenagers or last a lifetime.
Royal Life Saving Chief Executive Officer Dr Justin Scarr said, “The decline in swimming skills in children is a key factor driving elevated drowning in teenagers and young adults”.
More than half of 10-year-olds and 40 per cent of 15-year-olds can’t swim 50 metres, and most of those may never swim, placing them at life-long elevated risk of drowning.
“If your children quit lessons before seven, a second dose of swimming at age 10 or before could be a lifesaving decision. Whether to build confident swimmers, encourage them into water sports or recreational activities, and to prevent drowning later in life, swimming is for life, and no child should miss out,” Scarr said.
To help parents assess their children at age of 10, before drowning risk elevates, Royal Life Saving is providing the following checklist: Can your 10-year-old swim 50 metres and float for two minutes? If they fell from a boat or slipped off rocks, could they float and/or swim 50-100m to safety? If peer pressure meant they jumped from a jetty or rocks, could they swim to safety? If they were caught in a river current, would they know what to do to help them survive?
If the answer is no, or if you are not sure, then both we and Royal Life Saving are encouraging parents to get their kids back to swimming lessons! Until next week, stay safer! Love to Swim, Swim for Safety, Swim for Life!