Li Z. and Zhu S. 2018. Why there are so many drowning accidents happened at Dadonghai Beach, Hainan, China: Beach morphodynamic analysis. In: Shim, J.-S.; Chun, I., and Lim, H.S. (eds.), Proceedings from the International Coastal Symposium (ICS) 2018 (Busan, Republic of Korea). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 85, pp. 741–745. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.

Dadonghai Beach is one of the most popular seaside tourism areas in the tropical zone of China, attracting a large number of tourists from across the world. In the last 10 years, hundreds of beach drowning accidents occurred at Dadonghai Beach. In this paper, a beach safety evaluation model is established based on the beach morphodynamic state model proposed by Masselink and Short (1993). This paper suggests that the low tide bar/rip and barred beaches have the maximum occurrence probability of rip current, presenting the most hazards for swimmers at beaches. Barred dissipative beaches and low tide terrace with rips beaches have medium risk of rip current. Low tide terrace without rips, non-barred dissipative, ultra-dissipative and reflective beaches have a low probability of rip current occurrence. This present model is specially used to evaluate the beach rip currents risk at Dadonghai Beach. Results show that the monthly average beach states of Dadonghai Beach are low tide bar/rip or barred beach states from January to October. In November and December, the beach shows ultra-dissipative states. The Dadonghai Beach has a high probability of rip current occurrence, which accords with the local life-saving records. Owing to a complete absence of rip current hazard awareness and lack of proper risk management strategies towards rip current, numerous beach drowning accidents had taken place at Dadonghai Beach every year. The beach safety evaluation model proposed in this paper can provide a guideline for the beach safety evaluation and bathing beach management.