Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

...to remind people of the dangers of the sea? [Poss trigger]

51 replies

ThatFriskyFeline · 27/07/2016 17:11

I am a regular but have name changed as this could be terribly outing

I'm visiting my parents at the moment, who live on the coast in The Netherlands. This afternoon a 15-year-old boy was pulled out of the sea (today is wet, windy, and the sea is still cold) but, despite serious efforts by the amazing emergency services, he sadly didn't make it.

Only a few days ago we watched one of the coastguard search helicopters patrol a section of the sea near us, whilst the air ambulance was circling waiting for space to be cleared on the beach for it to land. Luckily this one turned out to be false alarm, until today.

The North Sea and English Channel are particularly dangerous bodies of water. They are far from calm, there are plenty of strong undercurrents near the coast line, and sand banks which move so regularly that the currents also move with them.

With it being summer it will be tempting to go to the beach and go for a swim in the sea to cool down. Please please please tell your kids, and others who don't know, what the dangers are and how important it is to adhere to any signage on the beach. Please tell them that when they do decide to swim, to stay close to the coast. And if they get caught by a current, they should allow it to drag them out to sea. It will stop, and it will be easier to swim back when not swimming against the current.

When the sea is rough, the coast guard / RNLI will likely make it clear it's unsafe to swim. Today was not a safe day to swim. Today it resulted in something horrible.

Please educate your children.

OP posts:
JaceLancs · 27/07/2016 18:00

I'm a very good swimmer and still stay close to the shore and within my own depth
Inflatables are only for pools
DP nearly lost his life as a teen diving in to rough seas to save someone from drowning - thankfully they both made it - the award he received takes pride of place in his home

Iliveinalighthousewiththeghost · 27/07/2016 18:01

Wil
Walk parallel along the beach rather than outwards.
Obviously 100% supervision.
If you see a red flag do not go into the sea.
As you probably know Red symbolises danger.

BusStopBetty · 27/07/2016 18:03

I'm glad you posted this. I'm hugely, hugely wary of the sea (having lived by it previously). Fine for a (supervised) paddle, no way to swimming. Or inflatables.

There is always some dickhead who thinks its a good idea to float out on a lilo, or dive from the cliffs/rocks.

KitKat1985 · 27/07/2016 18:10

I live (and always have done) along the South Coast. Every year there are fatalities / serious accidents along the South Coast, often involving people going out to sea on lilos etc. Another major problem is with people who jump off rocks / piers etc into the sea. My Dad was once nearby when someone did this - unfortunately the dark water was very deceptive and the man who jumped ended up jumping several feet onto a patch of sea that was in reality only a few inches deep and he smashed his legs to bits. My Dad helped the paramedics get him out and said his legs were broken in so many places it was horrific.

fudgefeet · 27/07/2016 18:11

I have always lived by the sea and have heard so many stories of people getting swept out to sea and even been in the sea with my children on days when there has been an incident. I am not a strong swimmer so don't go out often but my husband loves being in the sea and goes up to 3 times a day often with the children. He is not a strong swimmer either and makes me so cross when he insists on having a dip when the red flags are up. My children both have lessons and will continue to do so until they finish all the levels after which I will sign them up for sea swimming lessons. I don't let them use inflatables either.
Once last year my eldest who was 8 at the time went to the beach with a friend and her dad who let them bodyboard up to the bouys and back alone. They were fine but I was fuming when she told me. I am always harassing my husband about getting lessons to improve his swimming and have lectured everyone in the house on riptides, calling for help etc but he insists that they can only really learn about the risks through experience. Shocking really how fearless he is as he once watched a drowned child being pulled out of a canal with his poor mother being held back screaming. If I had witnessed that I don't think I could live as close to water as I do.

specialsubject · 27/07/2016 18:23

Don't swim pissed.
Don't swim after dark.
Never go into water to try to rescue a dog. The dog will probably survive - and if it doesn't, it is only a dog.
Don't jump or dive unless it is a swimming pool and you know how deep it is

That lot would eliminate many casualties..

witsender · 27/07/2016 18:29

I have grown up on and around the sea, and my kids are too. I went through a phase of being quite blase about it in my teens as I am a strong swimmer, accustomed to it etc but then the close calls some yachtie friends had sorted me out.

frankie001 · 27/07/2016 18:32

Also be aware that someone drowning is not dramatic looking. Often silent and quiet. Will see if I can see the link that explains it.

frankie001 · 27/07/2016 18:34

www.safebee.com/outdoors/silent-drowning-how-spot-signs-and-save-life not the one I was looking for but well worth a read.

Girlwhowearsglasses · 27/07/2016 18:40

The really famous ones boy drowning is Drowning doesn't look like drowning by mario vitttone

P1nkP0ppy · 27/07/2016 18:40

My sister when she was 6 nearly drowned when a lilo flipped over in a few inches of water where the waves break on the shore. She was underneath it when a man saw her and grabbed her. It can happen so quickly. That's why there's no way my dcs ever had inflatables in the sea. Being able to swim is no guarantee you'll be safe.

Girlwhowearsglasses · 27/07/2016 18:43

Also I think those of you stopping swimming in the sea at all should think about risk and doing things safely: learning to swim safely, being a strong swimmer, knowing to swim sideways if in a riptide etc are all life skill worth knowing - when they're adults themselves hey will have to make the choice too. I really believe knowledge is power here.

Cutecat78 · 27/07/2016 18:54

On the RNLI prog I could not believe the guy who had his none swimming children on a speedboat with no life jackets on Angry

DesignedForLife · 27/07/2016 19:17

Yanbu, pleoole need to be aware of the dangers.

Swimming in the sea can be safe, so long as you do your research, know the beach and tides, and obey the flags and signs that are up. Not swimming in the sea is extreme to me, but I'd never let kids swim in unsafe areas or away from adults.

Likewise swimming in lakes and rivers. Can be very dangerous, especially give. The difference in temperatures from the shore and further in, and the risk of submerged objects.

snowgirl29 · 27/07/2016 19:24

YNBU. I nearly drowned at 10yo at the Coast. Same sort of thing. Height of summer. It looked calm and i was playing with my sister in the sea like we'd done thousands of times before. An undercurrent took me out and I ended up being rescued by the RNLI. My step mum was a very strong swimmer, she came out to get me and she got caught too.

Note on the undercurrent and letting it take you out, we kept trying to swim back but there was a coastal wall there, every time we got an inch closer to shore the tides from the wall pushed us back out another ten.

I have drilled it into my DCs (maybe a little too much) to never ever mess about near water and to respect it.

Poor boy and his family Sad

Girlgonewild · 27/07/2016 19:27

I often swim in wild waters (it's our thing as a family) but we are very very careful. We just got back from holiday and when I went in a very isolated part of the sea (abroad) I just dipped in as I could feel current from both directions. At the hotel's beach there were safely lines not to swim beyond and they put up warnings when rip tides were there not to go in the water (and the day we had Portuguese men of war in the water - loads of them - nasty things but we weren't stung and kept out of their way on that day).

You do need to be very careful indeed. If caught in a rip tide let it take you out and when it subsides swim not back into it but parallel to the shore until you are away from it and then swim back to shore.

I also told the teenage boys no matter how much I want them to be heroes and help people very single year someone drowns in or from the UK trying to rescue someone and if it's not safe don't charge out to save someone however wonderful people are who do that. Sometimes the person you are saving dies and you die as well even those of us with swimming life saving qualifications, which I do have.

Owllady · 27/07/2016 19:31

I so agree with you.
I used to live on the coast and people really take the dangers of water for granted :(
It's not just the sea though, it's any body of water

snowgirl29 · 27/07/2016 19:32

Girlwhowearsglasses I completely agree with you. I signed my DD up for swimming lessons precisely because of this. Even after my experience I still never learnt to swim properly. They even had a training session recently in her lessons which was focused solely on drowning prevention. It was very useful.

goddessoftheharvest · 27/07/2016 19:35

I have lived by the sea most of my life, and friends and family have boats, work on the lifeboats etc. You have to respect the sea. People who go on inflatables in the sea are fucking insane. It's so, so dangerous

On saying that, despite hearing of local tragedies all my life, the one that sticks with me happened in Spain in the mid 90s. Another family were holidaying at the same resort, iirc it was two little girls, parents and their gran. One of the little girls was swept out - the gran managed to swim after her and get her to safety on a rock- but then a freak wave washed the gran out to sea and she died :(

That always really stuck with me. The sea gives, the sea takes away

Original poster
ThatFriskyFeline · 27/07/2016 23:06

The fact that fishing is still one of the most dangerous jobs says all we need to know about the danger of the seas.

I don't like swimming in the sea, caused by the regular news reports of deaths in the summer months. I don't think it's an irrational fear, it's a very real fear.

And to all PPs who've experienced drowning close to home: I'm very sorry you've had to deal with that, be it you or someone close to you. I can't imagine what that's like.

Update on the boy: My guess is he's local, he was there with friends (no parents). He was initially declared dead after several attempts to resuscitate him. However, they decided to try once more and by some miracle his heart started beating again. Last known update is that he is fighting for his life. I feel so sorry for his parents, and for his friends and brother who witnessed it all.

OP posts:
Original poster
ThatFriskyFeline · 27/07/2016 23:17

We dragged an 8 year old to shore at the weekend after her lilo was blown out to sea and flipped her off. The parents were furious we hadn't brought the lilo back too

ShockAngrySad

OP posts:
Brightnorthernlights · 28/07/2016 14:29

Have been thinking about this thread today and then I saw this in the newspaper. I just do not understand how you can let a child get in the sea on an inflatable, without even being able to swim???

WanderlustQueen · 28/07/2016 14:59

I'm glad you've posted this. Just two weekends ago I was swimming in the sea in a channel created as the tide comes in but I know that beach and how fast the sea moves and I was being careful.

But so many daytrippers were there not paying any attention. I saw a mum watching her two young DC clambering over slippery seaweed and rocks to paddle from quite a way away and it made my blood freeze. One slip and she'd never have gotten to them in time. I was that worried that I lurked nearby until they got out, like a big floating safety walrus :)

The RNLI did a fantastic campaign last year on safety around water. It should be compulsory viewing for all.

GrassW1dow · 28/07/2016 16:38

I agree with LIghthouse. You can be as strong as a blue whale and the sea can still overcome you very very easily. Treat you like a little leaf in the wind. I am a fairly strong swimmer and have been shocked on occasion by how helpless I've felt even near the shore when strong waves have tossed me about (e.g. in Biarritz)

WannaBe · 28/07/2016 16:52

The RNLI are fantastic, the fact they are a charity and not government funded is a bloody travesty.

I grew up sailing and around water and Am a strong swimmeR. The amount of so-called experienced sailors I have seen out without life jackets never ceases to amaze me. And don't get me started on inflatables with young children on them who would never be able to cope if the wind or a wave took them out to sea.

Agree with owl re other bodies of water as well. Last week during the heatwave I saw a post on Twitter from the met saying they'd had two calls to people who had jumped in the Thames before 8:30 in the morning.

Oh and to add to the sea advice: never go swimming in the sea alone.