Why stop at life jackets? That's like saying 'as long as you wear a seat belt you can drive” (ie. no lessons, no wof etc). When entering the surf, you have a real chance of being thrown to the bottom and breaking your neck so maybe a helmet and $400 neck brace, like motorcross riders wear should also be compulsory. Most drownings are also a results of exhaustion so perhaps we should all have to pass a fitness test to get a swimmers licence before entering the water. Then there's the point you mentioned about surfies 'knowing” the dangers so a basic compulsory course on hydrodynamics and wave theory wouldn't be a bad idea. Of course we can't discount the risk of shark attack.
Perhaps one of those lightweight kevlar shark proof suits should be worn, along with an even bigger life jacket to compensate for the added weight. Phew! At this rate the issues around the seabed and foreshore will be redundant because no one will be able to afford to or have any interest in going to the beach.
The only reason people go into the surf is because of the thrill it provides. Let's face it, it's cold, you get salt and sand shoved up every orifice and if that was offered without the 'danger” of the surf there would be few takers. Take that thrill away and people will simply find something riskier to do elsewhere.
People drown. People die in car crashes (on their way to the beach).
People die because they are txting while crossing streets. People die because they are in the wrong building at the wrong time. Tragic though every case is, trying to delete the risk is simply not going to work because taking risks is part of being human and for some, the driving force in their lives. We should embrace our humanity and ditch this woolly headed idea that no one should ever die enjoying themselves.
Steve Gore, Pyes Pa.