"Australian beaches are very dangerous": is it true?

Question

My cousin said that australian beaches were very dangerous, because there are many sharks and jellyfishes. is that true?

Answer 1

What a strange way to describe my beautiful country's beaches. There are sharks in all the oceans, no matter what country you live in, but Australia have shark nets and beach regulations controlled by the Life Safers, these are people who patrol the beaches and look after people like you, who do not read the signs before they go swimming. Jelly fish are only in our oceans at certain times of the year and that is in Northern Territory and Queensland's top half known as Cains.
So the message is read the signs and/or check first with the local tourist centre, but if you were clever that is what you would do before going swimming in a country you are not custom too. By the way I went swimming this morning and do every morning and did not see a jelly fish or a shark.

Answer 2

More dangerous than any american waters. There is more shark activity and Australia is home to some of the most poisonous jellyfish in the world. However, the saltwater crocodile is also a threat that other beaches don't have to worry about, and it has more deaths attributed to it a year than sharks in Australia do. Several beaches have precautions such as netting to keep out potential threats. If you are going to an Australian beach, don't let it worry you too much. Especially if it is a well populated one that most likely has safety measures. Any beach is potentially dangerous. Don't let it prevent you from going or make you so nervous you look over your shoulder every second.

Answer 3

Like most Aussies have said here. Stay on Patrolled beaches. While shark and Jellyfish attacks can happen (Though very rare) the most important thing to watch is the rips. A seemingly calm streatch of water could be hiding a dangerous ubdercurrent that can drag you out to sea if you are not careful. Which is why lifesavers put their flags in a particular spot on the beach. They are trained professionals and have located the safest place to swim for the day.
Most of the deaths caused at Australian Beaches were due to an unaware tourist venturing away from patrolled areas and drowning in a rip.
I think they should have information on flights warning tourists about the dangers of these rips.

Answer 4

It's only true if you believe it. Of course we do have Sharks and Jellyfish. But someone forgot to tell you we also have the most dangerous snakes in the world and we have the occasional dangerous spiders and Bull Ants and other insects.

Look a country is only as dangerous as the next. We also don't have very nice people. But that also is problem in all other countries n this earth.
But to answer your particular question. yes we do, but if you stay within the boundaries of where you should swim and that's between the flags etc on most beaches than your safe as houses.
You break the rules and swim out of those flags etc than it won't be the sharks or jelly fish that will be dangerous, it will be the rip of the water that will make things pretty dangerous and not the animals or mammals of the sea.

Answer 5

20 million people live in Australia and tens of thousands of visitors arrive every year. Most of them will visit beach at some stage during the year. Perhaps one person a year is killed by a shark/crocodile/jellyfish.

Crocodiles and box jellyfish are limited to the northern tropics - far north Queensland, the Northern territory coast and the Kimberley coast of WA. Don't swim in crocodile habitat and avoid the jellyfish by not swimming off the beaches in summer.

Shark attacks are very rare and on netted beaches in Sydney and Brisbane there have been no reported attacks for years.

The most dangerous part of Australian beaches is not the wildlife but the rips. Surf cascading onto the beach has to return to the sea. It tends to form outflows from the beach called rips. It is almost impossible to swim against a rip and you could be carried well off the beach.

Surf Lifesavers put red and yellow flags on the beaches to mark the safe areas for swimming. Swim between the flags. If you are on an unpatrolled beach, avoid areas of smoother water or breaks in the surf line.

Answer 6

Hello, I live on the coast in Queensland and it can be
dangerous but not because of sharks although 2
people recently have been bitten in shark attack,but
both were attacked in western Australia where the
water is mush colder and sharks like the white pointer
tend to feed close to shore.
In Queensland I haven't heard of anyone ever being
bitten by a shark but the jellyfish are really bad and you
should never swim outside the stinger nets because box
jellyfish can be very lethal...

It's sad to say that the beaches are very dangerous all
year round and if you ignore the warnings it might just
cost you your life..

I hope this doesn't turn you off visiting our shores in
the future..LOL..!!

Answer 7

I lived in Cairns, Far North Queensland for my entire life and I swam at the beaches probably on average two or three times a week for about 15 years....Im still alive!!!

You really have nothing to worry about as shark attacks along the Queensland coast are few and far between. You do however have to be wary of the box jelly fish...this can kill you in a very short space of time if not treated quickly. To avoid this I would never swim in stinger season (usually from say November to May). And if you do want to swim then you must swim inside the stinger enclosures at the beaches...

Saltwater crocodiles can be an issue, but nothing that I was ever concerned about as I would just avoid the beach where the crocodile was spotted and choose on of the many other beautiful beaches in the area. Generally, when a crocodile is spotted at a beach it is closed for anywhere from three days to a week, depending on how long the crocodile is hanging out in the area....

On the whole, you have nothing to worry about when swimming at beaches in Australia...so long as you follow the direction of the lifeguards and swim in the designated areas. As a local, I will admit that I rarely swam at the popular beaches and would prefer to go to the beaches where there were few or no people, but that was only cause Im educated about the area and knew what to look for. I also knew the risk that I was taking....

Go to Australia and have fun and enjoy the sunshine and beautiful weather that we have...

Answer 8

Im australian i live right on the beach and ive never once seen a shark or jellyfish
It depends where you go if you just jump into some deserted beach there may be a chance but its very unlikely most beaches have lifeguards and other safety precautions
Sounds to me like your cousin is either trying to scare you or is really paranoid

Answer 9

If you go to a patrolled beach and swim between the flags then there is no risk because the lifesavers on duty know their beach and will always guide you, however if you swim outside the flagged area then you are there at your own risk, I am now 70 and have swum at beaches all my life and have never sighted a shark but plenty of bluebottles and Jelly fish. bluebottles do sting but there is little risk of serious damage and jelly fish are much the same except for the box jelly fish which if as I said before take notice of the Lifesavers and you will not run into any trouble. Natuarally Sharks are in their element but as they feed early in the morning and late in the afternoon you will be like me and never see one.

Answer 10

Yep, we have sharks, spiders, snakes, jellyfish and lots of other nasties including the blue ringed octopus, yes lots of them are very dangerous, however, we also have a large population of people here who love the beach and the bush and we all manage to survive the experience!!!!!

Fact is despite the dangerous creatures we have here the incidence of things like shark attack and snake or spider bites is quite low, you are far more likely to spend an entire lifetime here without being bitten, in fact, just like anywhere else, you are far more likely to die in a car accident or of heart disease.

Here in Western Australia we have shark spotter planes at our major beaches so sharks are seen and chased off long before they get near people. Yes there are the occasional attacks, usually at very isolated beaches where there are no patrols. The rest is common sense, to avoid spider bite, dont stick your hands/feet where you cant see. For snakes, wear sturdy shoes, dont walk through long grass in summer and remember with few exceptions the snakes are more scared of you than you are of them. If all else fails there is antivenine for most of our nasties.

It is also wise to take the time to learn basic first aid, especially when it comes to snake and spider bites, knowing what to do in an emergency can save a life.