The death on the weekend of a Sydney man at Coolendel west of Nowra serves as a tragic reminder of the dangers that lurk in our rivers and inland waterways.
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Sadly, this was the second time in two years a life has been lost at this popular but remote camping ground on the banks of the Shoalhaven River.
According to police, who spoke to witnesses after the man disappeared, the victim appeared to get into difficulty before disappearing from sight. Despite their best efforts, people at the scene could not locate the 23-year-old. His body was recovered the following morning by police divers, who said underwater visibility was poor.
Statistics from Royal Life Saving make for grim reading. They make clear the fact that despite their often benign appearances, rivers, creeks and streams can be places of great peril.
A report published in 2014 made those dangers starkly clear.
Between July 1 , 2002 and June 30, 2012, a total of 2965 people died as a result of drowning in Australian waterways. Of these 735 people drowned in rivers, creeks and streams, accounting for 25 per cent of all drowning deaths in the 10-year period.
Males accounted for 80 per study of all river drowning deaths in the study period.
NSW experienced the highest number of river drowning deaths in the study period, with 246 deaths or 34 per cent of all river drowning deaths.
Surprisingly, most river drownings occurred within 100km of the victims’ homes.
The Royal Life Saving report found swimming and recreation in and around rivers was a common factor in drownings. So, too, was alcohol and drug use at the time.
In the weekend’s incident police say there is no indication the young man was behaving inappropriately or was intoxicated but they will await the autopsy results to confirm this.
What is apparent from the Royal Life Saving report is the need for education for river users so they understand the risks before entering the water.
When underwater visibility is poor, it can be almost impossible to detect submerged hazards and snags. Reading the currents can be difficult as well.
When a Corrimal man lost his life at the same spot two years ago, a coronial inquest recommended more information be given to campers about the risks of river swimming. Those warnings need to be heeded.
