The role of surfers in beach safety management: Insights from French respondents to a global surfer survey

Coastal locations are a leading contributor to the global drowning burden. Despite being a known risk-reduction measure, a significant proportion of beachgoers continue to bathe outside of lifeguard-patrolled areas placing themselves at increased risk of beach hazards such as rip currents and breaking waves. Under such conditions, recreational surfers represent a potentially important role as bystander rescuers although little is known about surfers' relationship to safety. In this study, we analyze surfer beach safety knowledge and behaviors using a sample of 569 French surfers, drawn from a Global Surfer Survey. Using pair wised comparisons and multivariate analysis, surfer characteristics as rescuers and as victims are investigated as well as their willingness to learn new safety skills. In our survey, 55.9% of French surfers self reported having previously conducted a rescue. We show that experienced and highly skilled surfers have a higher probability of performing a rescue than other surfers, but having completed ocean lifeguard training has no statistical influence. Having previously experienced injury seems beneficial both to act as a rescuer, but also in improving a surfers own safety. As victims, surfers appear to be calmer and less often in trouble with rip currents as others, such as swimmers. Compared to non surfers, surfers were less likely to be able to walk away and more likely to require medical assistance nevertheless. In the survey, 88.4% of the respondents were willing to take part in a course aimed at lifesaving and rescue skills for surfers, whether freely provided or not. Younger surfers (under 24 years) are more willing to acquire formal safety skills than other age groups. On the contrary, having alreadly performed a rescue has no statistical influence on the willingness to attend training sessions. Despite the significant involvement of surfers in saving lives in the coastal environment, there remains a need to encourage collaboration between local surfers and other stakeholders officially in charge of beach safety management.