Beachgoers have been warned not to be complacent after two people drowned within days of each other amid "tricky surf conditions" along Queensland's coast.
Last week, a 27-year-old French backpacker died after she was pulled from the water at a Sunshine Coast beach.
Just days before, a man drowned at the Gold Coast after he and his son got into trouble swimming at Surfers Paradise.
Queensland Surf Life Saving's Nathan Fife said difficult surf and people swimming beyond their ability had kept lifeguards and lifesavers "very busy" recently.
Mr Fife said "tricky surf conditions" were expected to continue for several weeks.
"We had some big surf and very unstable conditions – a lot of water moving, high tides, a lot of rips — so it has been tricky for our surf lifesavers and lifeguards," he said.
"We need people to be aware, don't take the ocean for granted."
Surf Life Saving Queensland's lifeguards and lifesavers carried out 230 rescues over the Christmas long weekend.
Mr Fife said there were "a lot of incidents" where swimmers got into trouble on unsupervised beaches.
"Unfortunately, we have seen people swimming after those patrol hours and that's one thing that our life savers are warning people – once those flags go down, please exit the water.
"If you are heading to the beach, make sure you take a piece of floating equipment, if it's a surfboard or a body board … the big one is making sure people are at patrolled beaches and looking after each other, knowing your own depth and knowing your own abilities."
'These calls can be horrific'
Queensland Ambulance Service's Lachlan Parker said the number of triple-0 calls for reported drownings had increased "significantly" in recent months.
In the past 12 months, there were 478 triple-0 calls for reported drownings — including near-drownings — 57 of which were in December.
In the past seven days, there were 28.
"We sometimes get complacent and don't realise the dangers with some of the waterways – even the most competent swimmer can get in a rip and unfortunately that leads to devastating outcomes," Mr Parker said.
"These calls can be horrific. Obviously the scene is very emotional, there's often family and bystanders on scene distraught … sometimes the simplest of precautions can change the whole outcome."
How to spot a rip
A rip is the path the water being pushed onto the shore by the waves takes to run back into the ocean, so they often appear as dark, relatively calm channels between the white breaking waves.
But these dark channels actually indicate fast-moving currents moving out to sea.
They're dangerous because people can become exhausted trying to swim against the current back to shore, or they can push inexperienced swimmers out into deep waters where they can't stand up.
Signs of a rip can include:
- Deeper, darker coloured water
- Fewer breaking waves
- A rippled surface surrounded by smooth water
- Anything floating out to sea, or foamy, sandy water out beyond the waves.
If you get caught in a rip:
- Stay calm, your body is naturally buoyant and the current is not going to pull you under
- Float and raise your arm if you need help
- If you feel confident, swim parallel to the shoreline towards the white water, where it will be shallower and the waves will help you get back to shore
- Do NOT try to swim against the rip straight back to the shore
