Australian Centre for
Paddling Safety

Help The ACPS

Photo above - this father and 3 children drowned after their double sit on top capsized in Lake Superior. The mother somehow survived. The story is often retold in the US as an example of what not to do.
The ACPS is a community based resource site. In the first instance, our volunteers monitor the news and collate information about recent paddling deaths. As new information comes to hand, each record is updated.
Members of the Australian paddling community can assist the ACPS by actively contributing information about known incidents. Sometimes it is just a name which helps us make the link to a coronial report. We will respect the official processes involved in all Coronial enquiries, and respect the wishes of the family when known.
Community Crowd-Sourced Information
Please email us at learn@paddlesafety.org if you have any additional information relating to the deaths listed on this website or any we have missed. Your information could help the paddling community learn from each tragedy.
The better quality information on this website, the greater value to the broader public the information becomes.
Linking to our Website
Please link our website to your site. It will increase the chances of the alogrithm sending enquiring minds to our site.
Preparing Case Studies
Help us identify a good story - especially a story which does not end in death. In the absence of long story journalists, there is an absence of case studies being prepared beyond the official reporting of Coronial Courts. Ultimately, the ACPS aims to produce well written, informative case studies aimed at preventing further deaths through making better information more widely available.
Financial Donations
The ACPS is a registered organisationt with the Australian Charities and Not for Profit Commission. Currently we are seeking Tax-Deductable status with the Australian Taxation Office.
Promotion
The ACPS intends to have a range of promotional material designed to raise awareness of paddle safety


ACNC

Not for Profit

The Australian Centre of Paddling Safety is a registered organisation with the Australian Charities and Not for Profit Commission.

Volunteers

Membership

All volunteers within the ACPS are members of Paddle Australia.

Contribution

Value

The ACPS remains within its initial launch phase. Collated information has been made public, while volunteers focus on building the adminstrative structures of the organisation.

About us

The Australian Centre for Paddle Safety (ACPS) is a not for profit organisation run by volunteers. It supports better public safety within paddle sports and recreational activities. Building upon the established knowledge of other organisations including Paddle Australia, Royal Life Saving, State and Commonwealth marine and safety organisations and international paddle safety websites, the ACPS will collate, record and discuss Australian fatalities and rescues involving paddle craft.

Involvement in recreational and paddle sports is increasing across Australia. Paddle craft including kayaks, canoes, surf skis, outriggers, dragon boats, fishing kayaks and stand up paddle boards are more accessible, through decreased costs and non-specialised distribution. Online sales and warehouse generalist shops means new paddlers may not be receiving safety advice or insight before going on the water. Paddle craft require no licencing or restrictions, unlike other types of watercraft. The increasing popularity of paddling largely occurs outside the established club communities, where again, new paddlers may not be learning safer paddling practices from experienced paddlers.

Every paddling death in Australia is an avoidable death. Each death is a tragedy. No paddler enters the water with the intention of dying. So somewhere, somehow - somebody makes a decision which has tragic consequences. A safer paddling community continually learns from these decisions and tragic outcomes, reinforcing established safety messages, and learning new insights as the environment changes, and new technologies offer new safety capabilities for everyday paddling.

The 2022 AusPlay survey identifies the percentage of Australians involved in paddle sports including 434,400 in Canoeing / kayaking, 20,400 in Dragon boat racing, 9,200 in Outrigger canoes, 25,000 in Paddle sports. This includes 2% of adult Australians. Participation in paddle sports is concentrated in the age groups 35 years old and above. Only 5.7% of participation in Canoeing / kayaking occurs within organised sports clubs or associations.

In the US, an estimated 7% of the population are involved in paddle sports (US Mens Journal 2015), with the number of participants increasing from 6 million in 2006 to 18 million in 2020 (Statista). In 2014, it was estimated 5000 new paddle craft were sold through specialised paddle craft distributors (NSW Paddle Safe Strategy. The global canoe and kayaking market is estimated to have grown 20% between 2016 and 2021 (Technavio).

Of the 418,000 Australians involved in recreational fishing (Ausplay), 7% 24,000 identified as also participating in Canoeing / kayaking. Information from US sports retailers indicate 49% of recreational kayak sales are for the purposes of fishing. Importantly sales intelligence highlighted the trend of kayak purchases being strongly identified with other recreational activities of fishing, four wheel driving and camping, rather than canoeing / kayaking.

The number of annual fatalities involving paddle craft in Australia is estimated around seven per year (Australian Royal Lifesaving). These are seven avoidable deaths. In 2021, eleven fatalities were identified, including 2 children. In the US, a trend to higher fatalities is being observed, with specific reference to the involvement of Kmart Kayaking - the increased distribution of kayak sales through non-specialist retailers, without specialist safety advice.

The ACPS will examine the inter-relationships between the three dynamics leading to death -the environment, the process of drowning (estimated 87% of paddling deaths involve drowning - Maine 2000-2007) and personal decision making, as well as the inter-actions with capabilities which could have created safer outcomes - equipment and emergency services.

The ACPS will produce, distribute and promote unique information designed to support better public safety in paddle sports.

The ACPS is managed and maintained by active paddlers.

ACPS

Supporters

Expeditionary River Kayaking

Volunteers supporting the ACPS are drawn from the Expeditionary River Kayaking group, a non-club paddling pod within PaddleNSW 

KAYAKSDelivered               

KayaksDelivered actively supports the ACPS and its aims.