Recent drownings have highlighted the importance of swimming between the flags when having a dip at the beach.
But it's important to know what to do if you find yourself in trouble in the water.
All 35 drowning deaths on the Australian coastline this summer have been in unpatrolled areas - outside patrol hours and the red and yellow flags. Of those, 19 were either known or suspected to have involved a rip current.
Related: Offshore cyclone could send massive surf crashing on Newcastle beaches
What to do if you're caught in a rip
Hunter Surf Lifesaving president Henry Scruton said people tended to panic when they were caught in a rip.
"It sounds easy - let the rip take you out or swim sideways out of it," he said.
"But people do panic and just want to swim back to the sand.
What to do if someone else is caught in a rip
People may also panic if they see a loved one in trouble and rush into the water to help without thinking first.
"If the person is in a rip, you're going to go into the same rip," Mr Scruton said.
Five bystanders have drowned on the Australian coastline this summer, four of which occurred when the person went to help a loved one, mainly teenage children. The fifth was trying to save strangers.
All five involved a rip and occurred at unpatrolled beaches. None of the decedents took a flotation device for the rescue.
"If you see someone in distress in the water, it's important to raise the alarm and call for help," Surf Lifesaving NSW director of lifesaving Joel Wiseman said.
"If you absolutely must enter the water, it's important that you only do so if you have a flotation device available to assist in keeping you above the water. This can be an esky lid, a football, a body board or something similar - it can be any item you see on the beach that will give you more buoyancy."
What's being done to avoid drownings
While the number of drownings this year is high, if it weren't for surf lifesavers there could have been many more.
Nationally, surf life saving services have conducted more than 5,300 rescues since the start of summer.
That's more than 79 rescues a day.
Mr Scruton said Hunter Surf Lifesaving also ran school programs to educate kids on how to stay safe at the beach.
"The average person, if they haven't had the education, can't spot a rip," he said. "The kids who do the program can see a rip and know how to get out of it."
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