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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Jenny Valentish and Jane Hone

‘He didn’t realise the danger’: the family grieving a lost son and their push to slash Australia’s drowning deaths

Australia Guardian Australia LSV Parks Victoria TikTok
Luse Kinivuwai’s son Jona. Across Australia last summer, 99 people drowned – a 10% increase on the previous summer
Luse Kinivuwai’s son Jona. Across Australia last summer, 99 people drowned – a 10% increase on the previous summer. Photograph: Penny Stephens/The Guardian

It was unusual for 20-year-old Jona Kinivuwai and his friends to drive an hour to enjoy an ocean sunset when the bay beaches of Frankston were just 20 minutes away. But they had seen Rye’s photogenic No 16 Beach in TikTok videos, which captured its otherworldly beauty on calm days at low tide.

There are no mentions in these captivating videos of the savage rips and deadly swells of the Mornington Peninsula’s back beaches, largely unpatrolled by surf lifesavers. Nor did the friends identify any danger when they arrived on 4 February 2024 – on a day with high winds and rough waves.

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