The University of Otago geography student is doing her master’s on whether members of the public are better at identifying rip currents in photos or videos.
Miss Irvine has spent much of this summer at Dunedin’s St Clair and St Kilda Beaches, asking beachgoers to complete a "spot the rip" survey.
At the same time, she was trying to compare people’s perceptions of their ability to identify rip currents, versus their actual ability to identify them.
Many people were "overconfident" and thought they knew what a rip looked like, but often they did not do as well in her survey as they thought they would.
Her research is part of a wider investigation which aims to decrease beach fatalities.
"One of the ways that we’re going about that is hoping that people can identify them.
"People usually get into trouble when lifeguards aren’t on duty, but lifeguards are a finite resource and can’t be on duty all year round and at all times.
"So people need a tool in their back pocket."
She said the survey itself helped educate participants about identifying rips.
"I’ve been handing out information pamphlets and answering people’s questions about rips too.
"Giving people the ability to stand on a beach, look at a rip current and decide on the safest place to swim, the same way a surf lifeguard would, is what we are aiming towards."
A rip current is a narrow body of water moving out to sea.
They are generally present where there are calm patches in the surf with waves breaking each side.
There are also ripple patterns on the sand or small holes beneath your feet in the water; discoloured or foamy water; and they are also common near rocky headlands, rocky groynes, piers, jetties and anything else that sticks out from the beach that could catch a longshore current.
They pose a risk to people in the water because they can sweep them out to sea very quickly — sometimes with fatal consequences.
Drowning Prevention New Zealand reports the country is in the unenviable position of having one of the higher drowning rates in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
While there had been a lot of research using photos to help people identify rips, Miss Irvine said she had been inspired to expand it because she had not been able to find any research on video footage.
She said social media platforms such as YouTube were full of videos, but research testing if those videos actually worked had not been fully explored.
She will continue to survey beachgoers at St Clair and St Kilda until the end of February.
Surf Life Saving New Zealand recommends those caught in a rip should relax and float to conserve energy, raise their hand to signal for help and ride the rip until it stops and you can swim back to shore or help arrives.
