How well do you think you know the beach? And how well do you think you can interpret a beach sign?
So much of our understanding of beach safety depends on context: the colours of surf lifesavers, the directions on signage and the behaviour of the water are all things we take for granted. So what could we be doing better, to make sure everyone can enjoy our beaches safely?
In this video, Cosmos journalist Ellen Phiddian chats to Dr Masaki Shibata, a researcher at the University of Adelaide who has recently published a paper on international beachgoers’ interpretations of Australia’s beach signs.
According to Shibata, a few things could be improved.
Update, 23 January 2023: A previous version of this video contained incorrect information about Tamarama Beach rips. We’ve updated the video to remove this information.
Originally published by Cosmos as How clear are our beach signs, really? Could we prevent drownings by making them clearer?
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