A dramatic rescue at Apollo Bay yesterday and a string of drownings along Victoria's coast over the past few months has sparked conversation about practical solutions that could help save lives.
The state has been grappling with an unusually high number of drowning deaths, with 27 people dying between July and December last year and seven tragedies along the coast in the past fortnight.
On Monday afternoon three members of one family were lucky to be rescued after getting into trouble at Marengo Beach.
Apollo Bay Surf Lifesaving Club volunteer life guard Thom Cookes, who was part of the rescue team, said the trio ended up in serious trouble after being swept out to sea "very, very quickly".
He said boogie boarders had gone to their aid while calling for help from lifeguards who had been patrolling the main beach.
"We got around there just as they were coming into shore and triaged them," Mr Cookes said.
Two of those rescued were taken to hospital after the incident.
Mr Cookes said Apollo Bay's main beach was relatively safe most days, but nearby beaches such as Marengo, at the mouth of the Barham River, were not.
"They were right at that river mouth on a rocky point, which has got a fairly notorious rip which just pulls you straight out to sea," he said.
Supplied: David Gorrie
)'There's really nothing like it'
Apollo Bay Surf Lifesaving Club redevelopment coordinator David Gorrie said there was strong community support for a concept called the Victorian Blue Ocean Safety Skills (VBOSS) centre.
The $10 million plan, developed in conjunction with the Apollo Bay P-12 College, would involve the renovation of the surf club to include accommodation for students, who would be taught how to identify rips and enter the water safely, among other practical skills.
Mr Gorrie said Apollo Bay was an ideal location to increase students' confidence around the ocean.
"Apollo Bay is recognised as one of the safest beaches in Australia," he said.
"In terms of rips, there are rips at certain times and certain places along that beach for teaching people, but generally it's a very safe beach."
He said VBOSS would build on the State Government's learn-to-swim programs.
"Swimming in a pool and interacting with the ocean are two different things," Mr Gorrie said.
"We've really got to bring people up to speed – particularly young Australians – in terms of interacting with the ocean and doing that safely."
He said he believed the project would fill a gap and help save lives.
"When it comes to specific courses and centres that focus on ocean safety skills and how to effectively negotiate rips, how to read the surf, where to enter the ocean and how to be safe about it, there's really nothing like it," he said.
Western Victoria MP Gayle Tierney wrote a letter endorsing the project in May last year, but VBOSS is yet to attract funding.
"We receive many emergency services proposals for funding," a Government spokesperson said.
