Tasmania recorded 10 drowning deaths over the past year, a 25% increase on the state’s 10-year average, according to the latest National Drowning Report released yesterday.
The report, published by Royal Life Saving Australia and Surf Life Saving Australia, shows the nation recorded 313 drowning deaths in 2025/26.
While that is an improvement on the record 357 deaths reported in 2024/25, Australia is not on track to meet the 50% drowning reduction target set by the Australian Water Safety Strategy 2030.
In Tasmania, people aged 75 and over accounted for 30% of all drowning deaths.
Ocean and harbour locations were the leading site, making up half of all incidents, followed by beaches and rivers.
Swimming was the activity most commonly linked to drowning deaths at 30%, followed by boating at 20%.
These include a woman in her 70s who died in a boating accident at Marion Narrows in March after a 4.5-metre boat hit a wave or wash, throwing three of four occupants into the water.
In January, a 79-year-old man from the Tasman Peninsula died after falling into the water from a vessel near Kettering, south of Hobart.
Police divers also recovered the body of a French crew member from a vessel near the Hobart waterfront in March after he entered the water.
The national bodies say three deeper shifts are reshaping drowning risk across Australia – declining swimming and water safety skills, an ageing population and the effects of a changing climate.
Surf Life Saving Tasmania chief executive Tony van den Enden said the figures were a wake-up call.
“These figures are a sobering reminder that drowning can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time,” he said.
“A 25% increase on our 10-year average is not a statistic we can ignore and reinforces why our patrols, water safety education programs and community safety messages matter more than ever.”
He said the data showed water safety was not just a concern for younger swimmers.
“With Tasmanians aged 75 and over accounting for nearly a third of drowning deaths in our state shows that water safety isn’t just for kids and young swimmers,” van den Enden said.
“Every one of these 10 deaths has impacted a Tasmanian family.”
“We will continue to educate every Tasmanian and visitor to think twice about the risks before they get in the water and to look out for one another on our beaches, rivers and waterways.”
