How do beachgoers evaluate risk? To answer that question, we used a unique multidisciplinary database combining beachgoer surveys, marine and weather data and lifeguard hazard assessments to examine beachgoer’s risk perception at La Lette Blanche, a beach in southwest France.

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.