Surfers: Lifesavers of la mer
Photo: Surf - Pointe de la Torche by Francois Pouzet on Flickr
Surfer rescues have for a long time been the untold story of lifesaving. While paid and volunteer lifeguards are well known for saving lives, the role of surfers has remained opaque, without official records or recognition of the role they play in beach safety.
In France, with 5000km of coastline (excluding overseas territories) facing the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean and Manche Seas and the North Sea, hundreds of thousands of people experience the joy of catching ‘une vague’. Swells generated in the North Atlantic Ocean make for great surfing conditions.
However, the length of the coastline makes patrolling all the popular locations for water activities impossible. Supervision at beaches is concentrated to the summer months of July and August, leaving ten months of the year without active patrols at many locations.
Using data from the Global Surfer Survey, researchers have analysed data about surfers performing bystander rescues in France, and found more than half those surveyed have rescued people in distress, saving hundreds of lives. A quarter of all respondents had rescued someone within the last year.
The groundbreaking research published in Ocean and Coastal Management found experienced and highly skilled recreational surfers were more likely to perform rescues, often at unpatrolled locations or at times which are outside patrolling hours.
Two-thirds of the rescues were from rip currents, with surfers often recognising the person was in trouble and voluntarily going to assist them safely back to shore. Surfers frequently used their board to assist in the rescue.
The number of self-reported rescues (318) is significant and yet reflects only 569 survey respondents who completed the survey and fitted the selection criteria for inclusion. In France, public health authorities recorded 633 drowning incidents in 2021 in coastal areas. How many additional lives would have been lost if surfers did not recognise and step in to save people in distress?
Most respondents would be willing to undertake some formal training to develop first aid skills and safety training. Rescuing people, who are often panicking, comes with risks for the rescuer; additional training would help protect them as well.
The study shows that surfers make a major contribution to beach safety in France by acting as bystander rescuers. Personal experience and technical surfing ability prevail over formal first aid skills in the likelihood of a surfer conducting a rescue.
We hope this research will help recognise the important role played by surfers in saving lives in coastal areas. Surfers have valuable experience to contribute and further knowledge exchange between surfers, lifesaving associations and the emergency health sector is needed.
Great cooperation will help keep everyone enjoying l'océan safe from drowning.
