Ed Accura’s No Lifeguard documentary to launch ahead of World Drowning Prevention Day

A new documentary exploring global water safety and the hidden causes of drowning will be released free on YouTube later this month to coincide with World Drowning Prevention Day.

Produced by filmmaker and Black Swimming Association co-founder Ed Accura, No Lifeguard will be available to watch from 23^rd July, two days before the United Nations’ annual awareness day on 25^th July.

Directed by Mysterex and filmed across Ghana, Sri Lanka and London, the feature documentary asks a deceptively simple question: who is responsible for keeping us safe when there is no lifeguard? Drawing on Accura’s own experience of learning to swim as an adult, the film broadens into an exploration of water safety, access to swimming education and the communities most affected by preventable drowning.

Travelling to two countries with some of the world’s highest drowning rates, the documentary follows local initiatives where residents have developed their own approaches to water safety in the absence of formal lifeguard provision. Back in the UK, Accura is joined by Black Swimming Association co-founder Danielle Obe to discuss the longstanding barriers to swimming participation and water confidence faced by Black communities.

The project grew out of Accura’s 2025 public service announcement single of the same name and was self-financed, evolving from a three-minute song into a 50-minute feature documentary. Original music, including the title track and the newly written 1 Life, also features throughout the film.

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No Lifeguard is released on 23^rd July 2026.

Watch the trailer for No Lifeguard here: