Worried about my 17-year-old swimming in lakes and rivers with friends

[Ketley67]

I’m worrying myself sick. DS is 17, a few of his friends have learnt how to drive, add in this glorious weather and of course they’re wanting to go to areas with water to swim in.

Yesterday they went to a river, today they’re going to a lake. The lake permits swimming but I’m so worried about them all! I’ve explained the dangers to him.

Not enjoying this age where they’re got a taste of freedom but haven’t fully developed their common sense!

5 young people have died in open water/ river swimming in the UK in this heatwave alone. Yes, cars are still a risk too but so is this!

Teenagers think they're invincible and "it won't happen to me" - has ever been so. But keep trying to reinforce the safety messages, hopefully they'll sink in.

https://www.rlss.org.uk/pages/category/open-water-safety-tips

https://www.rospa.com/water-safety/open-water-swimming

You do know that at least 6 teenagers have died in cold water this last weekend?

I'm not surprised that OP is worried, the driving part will be an extra worry.

I used to go with my siblings and pals all the time. I paddled though because I have an irrational fear of fish. Open water swimming is trendy atm - my mum’s all about it this summer (she’s 65) so I guess it’s a trend for everyone which is nice.

You can’t stop him - well you could since he lives in your house but I don’t think you should. Educate him, make sure he’s going to places that permit swimming and make sure he’s not going in the water pissed. A pal of my brothers did drown in a lake while drunk. He was an amazing swimmer but he went in absolutely pissed and ended up drowning.

Maybe a compromise would be you make him have his location on so you can see where he is and ensure it’s a spot that’s approved as a safe place to swim? Also if you want to kind of scare him out of drinking my mum actually had a breathalyser and used to randomly test us - we did drink but we knew we couldn’t lie about it so I do think it made us more sensible.

Cold water shock is a huge risk when there have only been a few days of hot weather. It is a killer. Get him to look it up.

When our friends/ when we started driving we also all got one of these. My parents just said if someone’s too drunk to drive just call us and we will get you and you won’t be in trouble. Not specifically relevant for swimming but this might help your anxiety about them driving - the only thing is you have to hold up on the “you won’t be in trouble” end of the deal which my dad was pretty good at but my mum struggled with.

Which is also the case in car accidents.

One person is killed or seriously injured every 17 minutes in the U.K., 70% of them male, 30% of them are teenagers or young adults.

Of course OP needs to warn her son of the dangers, but he’s far more likely to die or be injured in the car on the way there.

In addition to other water safety awareness mentioned, I do think that it's worth being aware of water pollution and checking out the situation with any river, sea or lake you are planning on visiting for swimming. There is no way that I would swim in the river nearest to my house at any time of year at the moment. Sewage may not be being discharged into it at the moment but it has an awful record of this happening. The Channel 4 programme Dirty Business is still available online - worth a watch if you haven't already.

Being aware of water quality is important and we and our wildlife need clean water. Swimming in the wild in unpolluted water is lovely. Websites such as Surfers Against Sewage has a live map with sewage data for the coast and inland waters. They also have a downloadable app: the Safer Seas & Rivers Service. Static or slow moving bodies of water can be prone to blue-green algae which can be toxic to humans and animals eg. there was a warning about not swimming at Cuckmere Haven in Sussex this week because of it, and there's regular monitoring of and concerns about lakes in the Lake District. Some young people might not be keen on following other safety measures too closely but the environmental one might be something they could connect with.

Well that’s made me feel better, thanks!

Dd did this last summer - off in friend’s car 2 weeks after passing test to swim in a lake. I was terrified. But I have dd a brief safety chat and off she went. Now she’s driving and I have to try to ignore my mum fear (or hide the crazy from her).

Listing other ways your team is statistically more likely to die is probably the most bizarre response I’ve ever read 🤦🏻‍♀️

Open water is extremely dangerous even for confident swimmers
educate yourself on cold water shock
the best swimmer can get cramp ( dehydrated in hot weather) panicking and next thing there under the water

jumping in when it’s hot the cold water takes your breath away like being winded
and also people swim in pools and use to being able to to stop and put there foot down whenever you can’t in deep water

unfamiliar areas there can be cute and varying depths leading to very cold spots

I’ve done open water from years it frightens the life out of me how uneducated people are about swimming

I wish there was much much more emphasis on swimming in the UK (I am in a different country in Europe where there is an amazing swimming programme - weekly courses to a really high level, all the way through to 18). It is so important to be consistent with swimming lessons when younger and encourage them to do the lifeguard courses as they become teenagers. They obviously learn a lot of water safety with these. I did open water swimming and getting into the water safely to avoid shock is a big deal. Also knowing whether there are steep drops or currents.

Completely agree. Insane to see non swimmers wading waste deep on the edge of an old gravel pit where it will suddenly drop to 10+meters, youths jumping off bridges (particularly at this time of year when the water is so cold compared to the air temperature, etc.

I was a very strong open water swimmer, but swam with others in the more risky areas and swam with a tow bag if going far out.

How many more needless deaths do there need to be before people realise this is a very real danger. Yes open water swimming can be lovely in the right environment, safety checks, knowledge and clothing. However, this isn’t always the case when the temperatures rise and teens decide to do it with their mates never having done it before or giving much consideration to the risks. I’d be concerned too. I hope your DS comes back safe OP.

We live by the coast and teens go diving/tombstoning in the sea from about 12. I used to worry, but my DS and his friends were all confident swimmers and understood the water - where to go, when to go and how to get out of trouble. I think the problem is not understanding open water, just learning to dive at 17, going only on the one or two days when it is hot.

we swim in a river ever summer and there are strict rules - even for the adults. You don't go in on your own. You don't go in drunk. you don't jump in off the rocks. you make sure someone on the river bank knows you are going in....

I spent my childhood swimming in the lakes and sea of North Wales and later scuba diving in it.

It’s the lack of education on open water swimming safely that’s the issue.

So this is sort of true.

but mostly not.

how fast your body loses heat depends on a lot of things one of which is the temperature around it, air on normal circumstances or water if you are swimming.

the true statement is that your body can lose heat UP to 25 times as fast in water as in air, and in order for that to be true you need the water to be extremely cold. Like around 0 degrees Celsius.

anyone who has ever got into a very hot sauna or jacuzzi knows that you don’t lose heat just because you are surrounded by water if the water is hot,

https://www.boat-ed.com/blog/how-long-does-it-take-to-get-hypothermia-in-the-water/

that having been said, the sea is currently not overly warm and deep lakes are also going to be pretty cold. My river was at 22.2

cold shock is a thing but it’s much more likely the colder the water is and that’s why ideally you get in gradually rather than jumping in.

at 22 degrees cold shock probably is possible but it really isn’t likely.

now if it were January and the river were five degrees….

Yeah don't worry about this risk, other things can kill you too!
We might as well all take up smoking since we're more likely to die on our commutes 😂

It's also worth noting that 46% of all drownings are alcohol related:

https://www.rlss.org.uk/about-dont-drink-and-drown

I think this is probably one of the key points.

With the increase in open water swimming popularity, there are now lots of open water swimming coaches across the UK. It could be worth booking him a session with one specifically to go over open water swimming safety.

I do a good bit of open water swimming but know my 14 year old won’t listen to his mum. He will listen more to a coach though, especially if you can find one that would seem cool to his demographic.

https://rnli.org/safety/know-the-risks/cold-water-shock

Cold water shock is incredibly painful and panic inducing. Float to live is a life saver.

Treat all water in late Spring and early Summer as being very cold.

I’m not keen on this age either. Know it all but are also blatantly bloody stupid.
Luckily, as dreadful as it is to worry, most teenagers do survive these trying years. He’ll be fine x