Rocky coast hazards and public safety: Moving beyond the beach in coastal risk management

Abstract

The coast is an environment enjoyed by people around the world, yet it is also hazardous, accounting for innumerable fatalities each year. The management of day-to-day hazards is an ongoing challenge for managers because the risk of a person drowning is the result of a combination of the number of people on the shore, their vulnerability, and the wave processes occurring at any one time. As it is nearly impossible to reduce the magnitude of waves or the number of people visiting the shore, managers often rely on strategies to reduce visitor vulnerability such as the provision of lifeguards. Education is also seen as key to reducing people's vulnerability by increasing awareness of the hazard..