Mohammed Isa Nur Adawiyah, Ramli Muhammad Zahir, Che Othman Siti Fairuz, Yusof Muhammad Zubir
Department of Marine Science, Kulliyyah of Science, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), 25200 Kuantan, Pahang Malaysia.
Institute of Oceanography and Maritime Studies (INOCEM), International Islamic University Malaysia, Kampung Cherok Paloh, 26060 Kuantan, Pahang Malaysia.
Nat Hazards (Dordr). 2021;107(1):873-887. doi: 10.1007/s11069-021-04613-z. Epub 2021 Feb 13.
Rip currents are one of the coastal hazards that put Malaysian beachgoers in a risky position. Most of the drowning accidents that occur at beaches worldwide are closely associated with this phenomenon. Research on rip currents is needed to build an effective measuring tool to overcome these issues. However, to date, research on rip currents is mainly focused on its physical aspects, commonly concentrating on the processes that influence and relate to the rips' generation. As an effort to minimize the negative consequences exerted by the rips, there is an urgent need to enhance the rip-related research in the social sciences field. Comprehensive research that includes all fields might produce more beneficial and reliable information. Therefore, this study intends to examine the level of public understanding of rip currents and beach safety knowledge of the Teluk Cempedak Beach. A questionnaire comprising 5 sections and 31 questions was developed as the primary tool in this study. A total of 60 beachgoers have been surveyed for this preliminary study through a questionnaire to investigate their demographic profile, frequency of visiting the beach, swimming ability, and their knowledge of rip currents and beach safety. The results show that the beachgoers have poor knowledge of rip currents. Conversely, they are observed to have higher beach safety knowledge. Also, the findings help in filling the research gaps of this study in terms of the instrument used for the data collection procedure. Above all, an extension of this study may contribute to the development of beneficial tools in assessing public knowledge on beach safety and rip currents throughout Malaysian beaches.
The online version contains supplementary material available at (10.1007/s11069-021-04613-z).
离岸流是将马来西亚海滩游客置于危险境地的沿海灾害之一。全球海滩发生的大多数溺水事故都与这一现象密切相关。需要开展关于离岸流的研究，以构建一种有效的测量工具来克服这些问题。然而，迄今为止，对离岸流的研究主要集中在其物理方面，通常侧重于影响离岸流形成并与之相关的过程。为了尽量减少离岸流带来的负面影响，迫切需要加强社会科学领域与离岸流相关的研究。涵盖所有领域的综合研究可能会产生更有益和可靠的信息。因此，本研究旨在考察公众对珍拉丁湾海滩离岸流和海滩安全知识的了解程度。本研究开发了一份包含5个部分和31个问题的问卷作为主要工具。通过问卷调查，对60名海滩游客进行了这项初步研究，以调查他们的人口统计学特征、前往海滩的频率、游泳能力以及他们对离岸流和海滩安全的了解。结果表明，海滩游客对离岸流的了解较差。相反，他们的海滩安全知识水平较高。此外，这些发现有助于填补本研究在数据收集程序所用工具方面的研究空白。最重要的是，本研究的拓展可能有助于开发有益的工具，以评估马来西亚各地海滩公众对海滩安全和离岸流的了解。
网络版包含可在(10.1007/s11069-021-04613-z)获取的补充材料。
