- Published:
- Tuesday 18 November 2025 at 11:37 am
With the weather heating up, lifesavers and lifeguards are once again patrolling Victoria’s beaches to help keep swimmers safe in the water.
Minister for Emergency Services Vicki Ward joined Life Saving Victoria members at the Williamstown Life Saving Club to officially launch the patrol season and to remind Victorians to brush up on their water safety skills this summer.
From 15 November 2025 to 19 April 2026, more than 45,000 lifesavers and lifeguards will be safeguarding the community and patrolling beaches across Victoria.
Millions of people visited Victorian beaches last year and this coming summer is expected to be another busy patrol season for our dedicated lifesavers.
As well as swimming between the flags, beachgoers can keep themselves safe by never swimming alone, avoiding swimming after drinking alcohol, assessing the risks before entering the water and wearing a lifejacket when boating or fishing.
Last summer, LSV lifesavers and lifeguards performed more than 1,000 rescues, attended nearly 1,600 major first aid interventions, and undertook almost 356,000 preventative actions to help people avoid danger in the water.
Despite these efforts, 52 people tragically lost their lives to drowning in Victorian waterways during the 2024–25 patrol season.
To support lifesaving efforts, the Labor Government has invested more than $9 million for public water safety interventions – this includes funding for paid lifeguard services, rescue watercraft, aerial surveillance via helicopters and drones and public safety messaging.
This builds on an additional $12 million which supported extended patrol seasons, equipment maintenance, and upgrades to lifesaving facilities across the state.
Victorians can find their nearest patrolled beach and learn more about water safety by visiting beachsafe.org.au.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Emergency Services Vicki Ward
“Our lifesavers do an incredible job to keep Victorians safe around water – but we need everyone to do their part.”
“It’s vital that Victorians take water safety seriously – swim between the flags, never swim alone and always wear a lifejacket when boating or fishing.”
Quote attributable to Member for Williamstown Melissa Horne
“Our community is incredibly lucky to have such beautiful beaches right on our doorstep and thanks to our dedicated lifesavers, we can enjoy them safely all summer long.”