Surfers Save Lives: $3.8B Impact
Recreational surfers play a critical yet under-recognised role in keeping Victorian beaches safe. The Safety Actions of Surfers in Victoria project is the first Australian study to quantify the beach safety contributions of surfers and translate this evidence into policy and practice.
Working in partnership with Surfing Victoria, the project is led by Kiera Staley at La Trobe University’s Centre for Sport and Social Impact.
From 2020 to 2023 the research team conducted a 128-week study survey of Victorian surfers to capture their measurable impact on coastal safety. The researchers found that, on average, for every 100 times they went surfing, surfers provided beach safety advice 11.6 times, first aid 0.4 times, and in-water assistance 1.1 times.
Surfers with board rescue qualifications gave advice 29% more frequently and administered first aid at triple the rate of those without training. Across Victoria, this translates to an estimated 739,209 instances of safety advice, 25,490 first aid interventions, and 70,097 in-water rescues every year—representing a conservative economic value of $3.8 billion in lives saved.
The project findings are being translated into targeted training programs, policy briefings, and strategic partnerships with government agencies. Media coverage reached over 2 million Australians across 2023-2025, fundamentally reshaping public understanding of surfers’ safety roles.
Based on the research findings, the Victorian Government has funded expansion of the Surfers Rescue 24/7 course into secondary schools (2025-2026), Mornington Peninsula and Bass Coast councils have integrated surfers into unpatrolled beach safety strategies, and Water Safety Ireland have launched a pilot program.