In France, drowning is a major public health issue, as it accounts for nearly 500 accidental deaths each summer and, in some cases, leads to serious long-term consequences. The NOYADES 2015 survey was conducted between June and September of that year by the French Institute for Public Health Surveillance and the Directorate General for Civil Security and Crisis Management of the Ministry of the Interior. It recorded all drowning victims, whether accidental or not, resulting in hospitalization or death. The objective was to describe the characteristics and risk factors of accidental drownings to help prevent them. The 2015 NOYADES survey recorded 1,266 accidental drownings, of which 436 (34%) resulted in death. Of these drownings, 18% involved children under 6 years of age (226 drownings, including 29 deaths) and 46% involved adults over 45 years of age (568, including 260 deaths). The demographic characteristics of the victims and the circumstances of the drowning varied by location: 241 drownings occurred in private pools (68 deaths), 62 in public pay-to-enter pools (6 deaths), 157 in rivers and streams (115 deaths), 132 in lakes or ponds (65 deaths), 637 at sea (167 deaths), and 37 in other locations (15 deaths). In private pools, children under 6 drowned primarily due to a lack of adult supervision and their inability to swim. In rivers and bodies of water, drownings often occurred after a fall, during solitary activities, or after alcohol consumption. At sea, the victims were often residents of the department where the drowning occurred, aged over 45, or individuals with health issues. These findings form the basis for specific prevention messages such as: ensuring close adult supervision of young children, teaching them to swim as early as possible, swimming in supervised areas, not overestimating one’s physical abilities, and checking sea and weather conditions.