What age to swim in a lake with friends?

[DolphinAspirations]

What age would you be happy for your DD to swim in a lake with no adult supervision? It would be with friends of the same age in scotland. Mine has swum in a lake a couple of times with me but that’s all. She can swim at a medium sort of level.

We are having a difference of opinion.

As soon as the said DC has completed their Beach Lifeguard qualification. By then they will be able to swim at the required level and risk assess appropriately.

Not go at all? No middle ground? No compromises?
No paddling. Not even dipping your toe in? She's bound to die from that!

Lake water, unlike sea or swimming pool water, has no salt and/or chlorine, making human bodies noticeably less buoyant. It also can be bloody cold, and will suck the energy out of you and things can go pear shaped very quickly.
I’m a strong swimmer, grew up on the Mediterranean, swimming since I could walk, maybe before, and I almost came a cropper in a lake as a teenager.
Id be very cautious indeed.

Lochs in Scotland are very cold and unpredictable it’s not Loch Lomond is it? Google drowning deaths in Loch Lomond, in July last year 4 people died in 2 days including adults who went in after their children got into trouble in the water. In Scotland as a whole 4 adults and 3 children drowned on that weekend alone. I grew up swimming in the River Thames and now will swim as an adult in certain open water in Scotland, but only let my kids do so under adult supervision ( not an absolute guarantee of safety as per tragic story above).

@chocolateoranges33 'For some reason going into the sea doesn't seems as dangerous to me as jumping in lakes' - yes for reasons a PP said above.

I swim in the sea from time to time and you have time to get used to the temperature. It's also not as cold. It took me a good 10 mins to get used to the temperature drop in a loch last year until I felt I could move around comfortably. Kids launch themselves in and race each other etc and it shocks them.

I’d definitely say ‘never’…and I’m not usually one for strictness, but my job involves working around water - not in it, unless we fall in - and we have to do training related to water safety and the realities of swimming in open water. It’s dangerous. It’s so easy to end up in colder water further out, or to overestimate your ability to swim a distance cause temperature changes make it harder. And ultimately, if you get into difficulty, you’re screwed cause nobody is going to be able to rescue you! The instructor for our training is a water rescue specialist…he said it should really be ‘water recovery specialist’ cause if he’s not present when you start drowning - and realistically, he isn’t - you’re dead. He mostly recovers bodies.

@Carrotmum the problem with Loch Lomond is it seems manageable but there is a sudden sheer drop/ledge a lot of people don't know about. We lose people in that loch every year.

Nope never

Never. My DD friend died in Wakefield a few days ago. There's also another lad from Wakefield missing a few years now and he was last seen near the river. We could go over and over the risks to our children, and be reassured to an extent that they're sensible and are going to be ok...but you just never know when something might go wrong.

I think 13 is definitely too young to swim without supervision.
Would have thought maybe 17/18 depending on how sage the lake is etc. As everyone above has mentioned.

I wouldn't want my daughter to swim in a lake unsupervised. Even if she was a really strong swimmer I'd worry about cold water shock or her getting tangled in weeds. I used to live near a sort of lake and it seemed like most summers someone drowned in it.

I go open water swimming, but mostly to two local places that have lifeguards on duty, and with a friend. Ten years ago I would have swam unsupervised, but I'm older now and not as much of a strong swimmer as I used to be.

If you want to put her off, tell her to Google 'swimmers itch' 🤣

Never. A friend of mine drowned when he was only fifteen while swimming in a lake.
A friend of my DH was left paralysed from the neck down when he landed in a lake awkwardly when swinging on a Tarzan rope over a lake when they were 17.
Open waters are dangerous, very dangerous. Only a complete fool would willingly enter one.

I love how your dd responses - so typical of 13!!!!

My dad is an open water official and an ex lifeguard and coastguard.

We've grown up on the coast.

The important thing isn't necessarily where you are swimming (but there are unsafe places and should never swim when signs tell you not to) but your own knowledge, ability and your safety factors.

So someone really string who knows a lake could be safe swimming in it and someone who can manage a breastroke or weak front crawl could drown. You need a good technique and poor technique tires you and that's always a massive factor in drowning. You need to know about floating on your back, regular calm breathing and be able to do this so if you get into difficulty you'll significantly reduce your chances if drowning.

When on the coast you need to know and understand tides, rip currents etc. you'll note that most of the drowning on south coast the past decade have been people travelling 1-2 hours from in and to beaches with significant tides.

Plus some rivers are very shallow and not tidal so what people mean by swimming in a river is wading in from the edge to waist and ducking under. These aren't significantly more risky than a swimming pool (except where no lifeguards) and so in this senario I'd be quite happy for a child of 13 to "swim" BUT only with someone trained to rescue around.

16+. DD is a fairly strong swimmer (could swim 2,000 M by 9 years) but children don't have an understanding of risk assessing the situation properly and lakes can be very cold, very deep and difficult to stand in due to plants / rocks etc.

So someone really string who knows a lake could be safe swimming in it and someone who can manage a breastroke or weak front crawl could drown. You need a good technique and poor technique tires you and that's always a massive factor in drowning. You need to know about floating on your back, regular calm breathing and be able to do this so if you get into difficulty you'll significantly reduce your chances if drowning.

Importantly in this scenario too the whole group needs to know this and be if a similar strong ability. Many a time a stronger swimmer has got in trouble helping a less strong one

Im in Ireland and all the teens near us go to the local lake to swim. It's pretty shallow and has a gradual incline and has lifeguards all summer. I don't have a problem with my teens going there, I don't think anyone has ever drown there. I don't think that that is the type of environment the OP is talking about though.

None on Sunday a boy of 16 from Southport drowned swimming unsupervised, l wouldn’t let my child take that risk.

Never. Far too dangerous

Never. Every year children and young adults drown in lakes/reservoirs when they get cramps from the cold, deep water that looked so inviting on a hot day. One happened earlier this week near my parents.
I'm speaking from a UK perspective though OP. Maybe you are in another country and surrounded by warm, shallow safe lakes ?

Never

Depends on the lake! Ours is a swimming lake, very busy. No lifeguards but very different from an isolated quarry

It's interesting that it's split here between those who live by the coast and those who live inland. Our very tidal beach is probably more dangerous than a lake but kids swim there all summer an hour or so either side of high tide (not possible after that)

Never. And I’m far from the over protective mom.

every summer at least one or two people drown at the lakes where I live and they are usually full grown adults.

I live by both. The beach in walking distance is incredibly safe. Some of the bigger ones a short drive or bus ride can have too tides but I've never heard of a death. There is a tidal island and people sometimes get caught out or stuck in the mud flats but again these are thankfully always rescue situations not body recoveries. Sadly the same cannot be said for the local lochs and reservoirs where there are at least a couple of deaths each summer

I did at 7 though my mother had no clue where I was & would have had a Dickie fit & I survived by good luck, rather than sensible behaviour. We were allowed to do it elsewhere with a large group of cousins, some much older & in a place that was known to be very safe at the time sadly I hear global warming has put pay to that safe swimming spot

Otherwise I'd say no, not unless with other adults or a group of sensible teens