Since 2016, the project has worked alongside leading surf scientists, educators, filmmakers, beach safety organisations and drowning prevention agencies to help reduce rip current drownings through education.
In 2016, Pinnacle partnered with the Northern New South Wales Indigenous organisation Juraki Surf Culture to support an innovative beach safety education initiative following a series of tragic rip current drownings at Dreamtime Beach, Fingal Head. With support from National Geographic Television, the collaboration led to the production of Rip Current Heroes—Australia's first dedicated rip current safety documentary. The film reached millions of Australians and was distributed free of charge to schools across the country.
In 2018, the World Health Organization recognised Rip Current Heroes as the most important beach safety documentary ever produced.
Since then, the Rip Current Safety Project has continued to grow, producing documentaries, educational resources and digital campaigns that have reached audiences across dozens of countries. Its latest feature production, Rip Current Survival, is the world's first international documentary dedicated to rip current safety.
Today, Pinnacle and CSK continue to support the project's next chapter through the production of AI-generated educational films designed to engage younger audiences with life-saving beach safety messages.
For Pinnacle, supporting the Rip Current Safety Project reflects our broader commitment to community wellbeing. While our core business is designing world-class scientific and medical temperature control solutions, we are equally proud to support initiatives that help protect lives beyond the laboratory.
For further information, please visit www.ripcurrentsafety.com.
A Decade of Difference
Over the past decade, the Rip Current Safety Project has grown from a single documentary into the world’s leading rip current safety education initiative, reaching millions of people through documentaries, educational resources, research partnerships and digital media.
2017 – Rip Current Heroes
- Produced Australia’s first dedicated rip current safety documentary.
- Created in collaboration with National Geographic Australia.
- Supported by a national digital education campaign that reached more than 645,000 Australians.
- A comprehensive school study guide was produced and made available free of charge to every primary and secondary school in Australia.
- Screened onboard Qantas and Jetstar domestic and international flights.
2019 – International Recognition
- Rip Current Heroes Day was launched online by leading United States drowning prevention organisations, reaching approximately 1.8 million Americans.
- The World Health Organization recognised Rip Current Heroes as the world’s leading educational media resource on rip current safety.
2020 – Expanding Global Reach
- Launched RipCurrentSafety.com, providing free, evidence-based rip current safety information recognised internationally as the world’s leading rip current safety website.
- Produced Escaping Rip Currents for CuriosityStream, one of the world’s leading factual documentary streaming platforms, introducing rip current safety education to a global audience
2021 – United States Expansion
- Produced Rip Current Rescue—the United States’ first dedicated rip current safety documentary—in partnership with the United States Lifesaving Association, the National Weather Service and California State Parks.
- The documentary continues to screen on PBS America.
- Produced a free educational study guide distributed to schools, universities, public libraries and drowning prevention organisations throughout the United States.
- Made the documentary and study guide available free of charge to all member organisations of Water Safety USA.
2022 – Education & Research
- Rip Current Rescue became available through ProQuest, providing access to more than 26,000 libraries in over 150 countries, including 98% of the world’s top 400 universities.
- Educational resources were also provided to the New South Wales Department of Education to support beach safety education.
2023 – A Global Initiative
- Commenced production of Rip Current Survival—the world’s first international documentary dedicated to rip current safety.
- Filmed across more than a dozen countries, documenting rip current science, real rescues and beach safety initiatives from around the world.
- Expanded collaboration with leading researchers, surf scientists and drowning prevention organisations to create one of the world’s most comprehensive rip current education resources
2025 – Reaching a New Generation
- Launched an innovative social media outreach campaign using creative short-form storytelling to engage younger audiences with rip current safety messages.
- Produced a series of cinematic educational films designed specifically for social media and digital platforms.
- Expanded the project’s reach across YouTube, Instagram and other online channels, delivering life-saving messages in formats designed for today’s audiences.
2026 – The Next Generation
- Commenced production of a series of AI-generated rip current safety films.
- Harnessing the latest artificial intelligence technology to create compelling, story-driven beach safety education.
- Supported by Pinnacle and CSK as part of the project’s ongoing commitment to innovation and drowning prevention.
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