Determining Beach User Knowledge of Rip Currents in Costa Rica

Llopis, Isabel Arozarena; Echeverría, Alejandro Gutiérrez; Trimble, Sarah; Brannstrom, Christian; Houser, Chris

doi:10.2112/jcoastres-d-17-00131.1

Cited by 13 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Costa Rican drowning fatalities tend to be single male teenagers and young adults, similar to beach drowning trends from the USA and France (Gensini and Ashley 2009;Tellier et al 2019). Younger men and women are the dominant domestic beach users in Costa Rica and are involved in beach recreation in similar proportions (Arozarena et al 2018). However, males dominated beach drowning statistics for nationals and foreigners similar to other countries (Gensini and Ashley 2009;Woodward 2015;Tellier et al 2019;Lawes et al 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 73%

“…However, males dominated beach drowning statistics for nationals and foreigners similar to other countries (Gensini and Ashley 2009;Woodward 2015;Tellier et al 2019;Lawes et al 2020). This fact has been attributed to the tendency for men, compared to women, to overestimate their own swimming skills, underestimate risk or their own vulnerability, and to increased exposure to water activities (Arozarena et al 2018;Moran 2011;Willcox-Pidgeon et al 2018;Woodward 2015;Lawes et al 2020). Thus, Costa Rican single male teenagers and young adults are a high-risk population at beaches.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Between 2002 and2012, an average of 50 fatal drowning events per year were recorded on Costa Rican beaches (Arozarena et al 2015), a relatively high number compared to annual averages in more populous countries such as the USA, Turkey and Australia (100, 50 and 30 fatal beach drowning events, respectively; Barlas and Beji 2016;SLSA 2019;Gensini and Ashley 2009). Previous work has shown that international beachgoers may be more at risk of drowning than residents due to their unfamiliarity with local hazards and risks (Wilks 2017;Wilks et al 2003), language barriers and an overall relaxed attitude to safety while on holidays (Arozarena et al 2018;Wilks 2017;Williamson et al 2012). This attitude, aptly named "tourist brain," (Houser 2019) can also increase the consumption of alcohol during aquatic activities (Guse et al 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Costa Rican Tourism Bureau (ICT: Instituto Costarricense de Turismo), the main agency charged with managing tourism issues, has relied on beach hazard signage (e.g., rip currents) as a primary method to maintain people's safety. However, the effectiveness of signage is limited: Multiple studies have demonstrated that beachgoers generally do not pay attention to signs (Arozarena et al 2018;Brannstrom et al 2015;Wilks 2017) and find it difficult to translate and understand image representations of beach hazards (e.g., drawing of a rip current; Brannstrom et al 2014;Ménard et al 2018). In contrast, the presence of lifeguards at beaches is frequently recommended in the literature and considered to be one of the most effective strategies to reduce drowning risk (Gilchrist and Branche 2016;Ramos et al 2015;Wilks 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Coastal drowning in Costa Rica: incident analysis and comparisons between Costa Rican nationals and foreigners

et al. 2021

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International and domestic tourism is a growing industry in Costa Rica, with the most attractive places located along the coast. Despite their beauty, Costa Rican beaches can pose a high risk for foreign visitors: Drowning is the primary cause of unintentional death among international visitors. This study presents a comprehensive analysis of demographics, spatial and temporal trends of national and foreigner fatal drowning occurring at Costa Rican beaches during 2001–2019. For national beachgoers, teens and young male adults, ages 15–30 years are at greatest risk of drowning, while for foreigners, older adults ages 45–60 years exhibit higher risk. Temporal trends in drowning appear to be correlated with the number of beach visitors, which seem to be driven mainly by a combination of socioeconomical and climatic/weather factors. For instance, strong economic indicators for the Costa Rican population combined with good weather fostered during warm phases of El Niño Southern Oscillation attract more national beachgoers, which may increase the number of drowning deaths. These results will help authorities better understand the complex and dynamic drowning situation to develop better prevention strategies and policies that improve beach safety and raise awareness about coastal hazards and risk. Such actions will bolster the reputation of Costa Rica as a safe touristic destination.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 73%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Coastal drowning in Costa Rica: incident analysis and comparisons between Costa Rican nationals and foreigners

et al. 2021

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“…Those studies examine the rips' formation and implications as well as solutions to the rip currents (Carey and Rogers 2005;Short 2007). Many studies on the public perceptions of rip currents have been conducted in other countries such as the United Kingdom, the USA, Costa Rica, and Brazil (Brannstrom et al 2015;Woodward et al 2015;Fallon et al 2017;Llopis et al 2018;Silva-Cavalcanti et al 2020). However, such studies are rarely found within the Malaysian context.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A preliminary studies to assess public knowledge of beach safety in east coast Malaysia

et al. 2021

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Rip currents are one of the coastal hazards that put Malaysian beachgoers in a risky position. Most of the drowning accidents that occur at beaches worldwide are closely associated with this phenomenon. Research on rip currents is needed to build an effective measuring tool to overcome these issues. However, to date, research on rip currents is mainly focused on its physical aspects, commonly concentrating on the processes that influence and relate to the rips' generation. As an effort to minimize the negative consequences exerted by the rips, there is an urgent need to enhance the rip-related research in the social sciences field. Comprehensive research that includes all fields might produce more beneficial and reliable information. Therefore, this study intends to examine the level of public understanding of rip currents and beach safety knowledge of the Teluk Cempedak Beach. A questionnaire comprising 5 sections and 31 questions was developed as the primary tool in this study. A total of 60 beachgoers have been surveyed for this preliminary study through a questionnaire to investigate their demographic profile, frequency of visiting the beach, swimming ability, and their knowledge of rip currents and beach safety. The results show that the beachgoers have poor knowledge of rip currents. Conversely, they are observed to have higher beach safety knowledge. Also, the findings help in filling the research gaps of this study in terms of the instrument used for the data collection procedure. Above all, an extension of this study may contribute to the development of beneficial tools in assessing public knowledge on beach safety and rip currents throughout Malaysian beaches.

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Lessons learned from co‐designing a high school beach safety education program with lifeguards and students

Koon

Brander

Alonzo

et al. 2022

Health Prom J of Aust

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Issue Addressed: School-based beach safety education programs are common, but best practice guidance and information on their design and development is limited.Methods: Researchers, professional ocean lifeguards and students participated in a co-design process to inform a lifeguard-delivered, school-based beach safety education program for a coastal community in New South Wales, Australia. Lifeguards and researchers (experts) provided structured feedback about the program in a survey and facilitated workshop; students (n = 26) aged 11 to 13 years participated in focus group sessions intended to garner in-depth understanding of their experiences at the beach and knowledge of, and attitudes towards, beach safety.Results and Discussion: The co-design process provided a novel and inclusive model for beach safety education program development, and valuable lessons for future efforts. Specifically, student focus groups identified several facets of pre-teens and younger teenagers' beach experience that prompted revision of the education program, primarily framing of program content and safety messages. Peers are a primary motivator for this age group and students' burgeoning independence emerged as an important theme. While knowledgeable about beach hazards and risks, students conveyed mixed safety attitudes and self-reported safety practices, highlighting the importance of designing programs to motivate behaviour and promote safe decisionmaking vs raising awareness alone. Findings illustrate the value of adopting co-design processes for all beach safety programs, school or otherwise.So What?: Beach safety programs may not be delivering information that is needed, wanted or useful. Structured consultation with the priority population must become standard practice in beach safety and drowning prevention education program development.

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Determining Beach User Knowledge of Rip Currents in Costa Rica

Cited by 13 publications

References 27 publications

Coastal drowning in Costa Rica: incident analysis and comparisons between Costa Rican nationals and foreigners

Coastal drowning in Costa Rica: incident analysis and comparisons between Costa Rican nationals and foreigners

A preliminary studies to assess public knowledge of beach safety in east coast Malaysia

Lessons learned from co‐designing a high school beach safety education program with lifeguards and students

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