Surf Life Saving Australia

Men are nine times more likely to drown on the Australian coast than women, a new report by Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) says.

The National Coastal Safety Report, released by SLSA on Friday, reveals that of 94 people who drowned last financial year, 83 were men.

SLSA coastal service safety manager Matt Thomson said men were more likely to take risks and ignore advice when it came to swimming between the flags, but some deaths were alcohol-related.

"Guys have got to wake up to themselves and do the right thing, and be safe this summer," Mr Thomson told reporters.

Forty of the recorded coastal deaths occurred less than one kilometre from a patrolled area.

"Sometimes the flagged area is quite crowded or it's not as convenient (but) people need to remember that the flags are there for their own safety," Mr Thomson said.

In NSW alone, which accounted for almost half the drownings, 25 could have been avoided if people had chosen to swim between the nearby flags, he said.

Surf lifesaver Emma Larssen, from Cronulla in Sydney, expressed her disappointment that beachgoers failed to heed important warnings and signage.

"We're just down there volunteering hours of our own lives to try to help the public and keep them safe," she said.

Generally, the age group with the most drownings was between 30 and 39. But in South Australia the highest rate was for people aged between 40 and 50, accounting for six of the deaths.

"People are more confident when they're older and perhaps think that they're more experienced and less susceptible to drowning," Mr Thomson explained.

"That's not the case, and (they) should continue to adhere to safety advice."

Most people who drowned were not unfamiliar with Australian beaches. Forty-four per cent lived less than 10km from the coast and only four were international tourists.

Mr Thomson said there was a misconception that shark attacks were on the rise. Non-fatal shark encounters had increased, he said, but drownings remained SLSA's key concern.

Michael Webster, a North Bondi surf lifesaver, agreed.

"It's actually quite remarkable that people are so aware of the danger of sharks but they're not as aware of the danger that lies every day out there in rips and swimming outside of flagged areas," he said.

SLSA, in partnership with the Australian Water Safety Council, wants to halve the number of drowning deaths by 2020.

"That's quite ambitious but we're very confident that in working on the beaches and with our partners that we can achieve that goal," Mr Thomson said.

More than 23,000 coastal rescues were undertaken by SLSA and council lifesavers last year.

Not a single death was recorded for a person swimming between the fla