Water safety education is more important than ever this summer according to City of Casey, Life Saving Victoria, Parks Victoria and Victoria Police.
The four bodies came together for a water safety activation day at Lysterfield Lake on January 26 to inform the community on how to stay safe when swimming.
It was 34 degrees Celsius on Australia Day and many locals were enjoying their public holiday by cooling down in the water at the popular swimming location.
The bottom of Lysterfield Lake has a drop-off into deep water, making it a potentially dangerous place to swim, with currents and submerged objects present under the surface.
Since 2007, there have been four fatal drownings at Lysterfield Lake with all incidents occurring in the summertime.
Casey Proactive Unit officer Chloe Terlaak said although Lysterfield Lake was a popular swimming spot on hot days, many people do not understand the dangers.
“There’s a lot of people that like to swim here that maybe don’t have knowledge of the area and our water safety activation day is to make people aware of the drop-off area at Lysterfield Lake,” she said.
To stay safe around water, Ms Terlaak said people should learn how to swim effectively and understand the risks of where they are swimming.
Life Saving Victoria’s 2020-21 Drowning Report shows there were 61 drowning deaths – Victoria’s highest drowning toll in 20 years.
Education team leader Andrew Campbell agreed many people need to improve their swimming skills to reduce the risk of drownings.
“We don’t want to have another summer like we did last year,” he said.
“Swimming lessons have been affected by Covid-19, so it’s important to be aware of the dangers and get your swimming skills up to speed.
“The main safety messages were getting across is to supervise children – five and under within hands reach and 12 and under within the line of sight.
“Be aware of your surroundings particularly at Lysterfield Lake where there’s a drop-off.
“Lakes are also a lot colder than the ocean and wind across a large body of water can drag you away from where you want to be.”
