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World Drowning Prevention Day urges Victorians to unite for safer waters and reduce drowning deaths globally

Life Saving Victoria is marking World Drowning Prevention Day on July 25 with statewide events, urging communities to improve water safety and support the global goal of reducing drowning deaths by 35 per cent by 2035.

By news@gippsland - 23rd July 2026 - Back to News

Life Saving Victoria (LSV) is supporting international action to reduce drowning and improve water safety on World Drowning Prevention Day. Held every year on July 25, World Drowning Prevention Day is an initiative of the World Health Organization to highlight the tragic, wide-ranging impacts of drowning incidents, and offer solutions.

Life Saving Victoria urges everyone to prevent drowning by supervising children, learning water safety, wearing life jackets, swimming at patrolled beaches, and avoiding alcohol around water

This year's event carries the theme "Unite to Turn the Tide", calling for government and community leaders, water safety experts and the general public to commit to reducing drowning globally by 35 per cent by 2035. Roughly 300,000 people lose their lives to drowning across the globe every year, with more than 90 per cent of drowning deaths occurring in low and middle-income countries. Children under five years old make up nearly a quarter of all drowning deaths.

Drowning prevention focus

In Victoria, 52 people drowned in the last financial year. Of these incidents, 35 per cent occurred in inland waterways, 31 per cent in coastal environments and 34 per cent around the home and other locations. A quarter of drownings involved people from multicultural backgrounds. A range of events will be running to focus attention on drowning prevention and water safety:

• Aquatic facility operators across the state will support the day with a range of activities
• The Melbourne Sikh community will host an event at the Officer Gurdwara Siri Guru Nanak Darbar featuring presentations and panel discussions aimed at finding new water safety solutions
• LSV representatives will take part in the National Water Safety Summit in Sydney, aimed at sharing knowledge from across the country to strengthen water safety efforts
• The City of Melbourne will light up Melbourne Town Hall blue to mark the day on Saturday and raise awareness of drowning. Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre will also light up blue on the day

Life Saving Victoria Head of Research, Evaluation and Insights Dr Bernadette Matthews encouraged the community to get on board this important global initiative. "We all have a responsibility to each other, our loved ones and ourselves to prevent drowning. I encourage everyone to take a range of simple measures to stay safe around water. Together, we can all play our part to drive down these drowning numbers," Dr. Matthews said.

Water safety tips

Find Life Saving Victoria's key water safety tips below:

• Actively supervise children at all times - don't be distracted
• Avoid alcohol when swimming, boating or supervising others
• Always wear a lifejacket when boating, fishing or kayaking
• Check the conditions - weather, tides, and water hazards
• Do not swim, play or walk in the water alone - always go with a friend or family member
• Know your limits - don't overestimate your swimming ability
• During summer - always swim and play between the red and yellow flags where possible

You can find your nearest patrolled beach and beach safety tips at beachsafe.org.au or on the Beachsafe app. For further information contact the LSV Media team: media@lsv.com.au / 03 9676 6970.

Pictures from Life Saving Victoria Facebook page.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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