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Original poster

Please please please watch your children at the beach

109 replies

listsandbudgets · 19/08/2021 20:38

I'm staying in Devon at the moment and decided at about half past four to go for a swim. I'm a reasonably confident swimmer and know that at this particular beach its quite easy to go quickly out of your depth.

I was treading water talking to another woman I vaguely know when she suddenly said "I think that little girl just went under over there" Luckily we were fairly close, swam as quickly as we could and were able to grab her and haul her out. She was coughing up sea water and obviously terrified but she was OK. We took her back to the beach and her parents hadn't even realised - understandably they were extremely upset :(

Please watch your children and make sure for yourself before they go in how quickly it gets deep some beaches you can walk out for ages and its barely past your waists but not all of them.. I'm only processing now what could have happened if the lady I was with hadn't spotted her.

OP posts:
Suzysunflower · 19/08/2021 20:39

amen to this!

Amdone123 · 19/08/2021 20:42

Thank god you were there. I should think this type of thing happens really quickly.

PeasPeasPeasAreGoodForYou · 19/08/2021 20:43

Well done op

Very scary

tootingbeclido · 19/08/2021 20:44

Thank you...but why weren't they watching!?

AfternoonToffee · 19/08/2021 20:44

Parents often do let their guards down on holiday. We were away a couple of weeks ago and DH was splashing near the shoreline with the 9 and 13 year olds, I was watching, but there was also a little boy and I couldn't work out who he was with, I felt a huge sense of responsibility despite the risk being incredibly low.

Brollypackedforscottishholiday · 19/08/2021 20:44

A boy from our local secondary school wasn't so lucky. The very first week end of the summer holidays.
My dc are banned now unless an adult is there...
Terrifies me. Well done op.. Scarey thought.

elephantoverthehill · 19/08/2021 20:46

Well done you two. I live close to the beach and although I love it I hate when helicopters start circling. Our tide goes out for miles and people get caught out on the sand banks. It's just a quick Google to find tide times etc.

DoThePropeller · 19/08/2021 20:48

Well done you and your pal!

I’m always astounded at how relaxed people are at the beach. We have a house on the coast and I see it all the time, young (under 10s) in the sea and parents sitting way up on the beach giving them the odd glance. It’s not like our sea water is crystal clear, you’d be flying almost blind in many places looking for a child that had been dragged under.

Mine have to wear life jackets - if they don’t want to wear them, they can’t swim, only paddle.

Original poster
listsandbudgets · 19/08/2021 20:49

@tootingbeclido

Thank you...but why weren't they watching!?
Who knows? I felt awful for them, it's so easy to let attention slip. Perhaps, they just relaxed because they were on holiday.
OP posts:
Saz12 · 19/08/2021 20:51

Yep! Children who “can swim” make up the majority of tragedies - maybe they’re in the water more often, maybe the parents aren’t as vigilant.

When DD was about 3, she fell into some water - we were sitting on the edge of a slipway, the water was only a couple feet deep, 4 adults and she was sitting right beside DH. No alcohol, no profound conversation, just normal chat. Not one of us heard the splash, nor saw her topple in. I slithered into the water and picked her up immediately, so no harm, but it was terrifying how silently and unobtrusively it happened.

Spinxsta · 19/08/2021 20:51

I live near the coast in Devon and see this all the time. Lots of young children playing in the sea unsupervised or not even being watched. It gives me raging anxiety.

WhatIsThisPlease · 19/08/2021 20:52

Christ.

Well done OP, thank goodness you were both there. Gives me goosebumps to think how it could have turned out.

Tablow · 19/08/2021 20:52

I feel I can't even go to the beach. With a 5 and 2yo I just can't imagine what I'd do if one got into trouble becuse I might have to choose who to keep safe - if 5yo needed help in the water I'd have to leave the 2yo alone to wander in himself. The thought terrifies me!

lannistunut · 19/08/2021 20:55

Oh this makes me shiver! They are so lucky you and your friend were there.

Clocktopus · 19/08/2021 20:56

As well as keeping a close eye and being either easy reach, make sure your children know what to do if they get into difficulty. There is an excellent video by the RNLI here that can be shared with children, it explains how to float like a starfish in order to stay above the water.

We live near the sea and the DC are only allowed I the water at two specific beaches, both lifeguarded and fairly small bays so easier to keep an eye on them and if they want to go out any further than their knees then they need an adult in with them. There are a couple of beaches around here that are much bigger and where the water is a lot more open and rough, they're popular with surfers and paddle boarders, and only a small section of them is lifeguarded. I feel a bit panicky when I see people letting their DC go swimming in it without an adult and outside of the flags. There tend to be pools on these two beaches where there's been water left behind from the tide going out so there isn't even a need for kids to go in the sea there.

User5827372728 · 19/08/2021 20:57

@Tablow

I often take mine alone and make them Wear a life jacket on the beach!!

YoureAllABunchOfBastards · 19/08/2021 20:58

Not just at the beach. We were in a pool in a Disneyland Paris hotel ignoring a drowning child. Presumed that a) he was with the family who had just got in and b) he was messing about splashing and shouting. Took far too long for me to realise - luckily, another bloke twigged at the same time and moved a damn site faster than me.

Child was fine, thank God. He had run on ahead of his mother and jumped in, then realised he was out of his depth and panicked. I still feel guilty for my initial ignorance.

Onfire · 19/08/2021 20:58

My parents weren’t watching me when I was in the sea as a young girl. I think I was about 9.

Luckily a surfer saw me and saved me.

My parents still to this day don’t realise just how close it was

There were 5 children and I was the middle one so they had two younger ones to keep an eye on. Not enough parents for 5 young children!

tootingbeclido · 19/08/2021 21:02

@Saz12. Yes lots of kids learn to swim...do they learn about water safety.

HarrisMcCoo · 19/08/2021 21:06

Well done you for springing into action like that. I stay with my lot at the waves when we went last. Didn't let them out of sight. In fact, I insisted that DS (5) held my hand. 4yo wasn't brave enough to go any further than jumping waves.

It's so easy for a freak wave to pull anyone under. Takes seconds.

IHateCoronavirus · 19/08/2021 21:09

Absolutely terrifying, we’ll done op. It is every parents worst nightmare.

Garriet · 19/08/2021 21:09

To add to the OP - this is something else to be aware of if there’s a close call like what OP witnessed:

www.motherandbaby.co.uk/toddler/all-you-need-to-know-about-secondary-and-dry-drowning

Camomila · 19/08/2021 21:10

I think they do learn about water safety in swimming lessons (DS1 did both at baby swimming and at proper swimming lessons) but its things like "turn to the side of the pool" and "go to the nearest adult in the water even if it's not your mum" which is handy if you fall in at swimming lessons/the leisure centre etc but not so much in the sea. DSs swim school does do sea swimming safety lessons for older children and adults which I think is a really good idea.

Tablow · 19/08/2021 21:12

[quote User5827372728]@Tablow

I often take mine alone and make them Wear a life jacket on the beach!![/quote]
I just visions of my dc1 bobbibg away from me and me screaming from the beach holding dc2. Maybe once dc2 can follow an instruction I may consider it.

frazzledfragglefromfragglerock · 19/08/2021 21:13

We are sailors and paddle boarders. My kids never swim in the sea without bouyancy aids. If we're paddling without them they're only allowed into their knees.

My eldest is 14 Asda string swimmer and the rules still apply!