To ask you to warn/threaten/do whatever it takes to keep your kids out of Lakes in this hot weather

[AlexanderHamilton]

As emergency seadvices have been at a local lake/nature reserve searching for a teenager since 5pm tonight. There were three kids in distress in the water. Two got out. The parents of the third are at the lake as the search continues as darkness falls.

The local news here is reporting the death yesterday of a man in a Surrey reservoir

Wetsuits trap a layer of water close to the skin so slow down the loss of heat. They also provide a small amount of buoyancy as the neoprene has lots of bubbles

Can I also remind everyone to teach their kids to swim at a young age. If a child only does one activity- let it be swimming.

Any open water can be lethal. My sister on law was a lifeguard of all things, it didn't stop her and friend drowning. The were walking home along the beach one night, and we don't really know what happened, but both their bodies were found a week later. The newspapers speculated that they were jumping the waves and one of them got into trouble and the other tried to rescue them. Whatever happened, it was horrific, they were only 21. I really think water safety needs to be taught more, most people have no idea of the dangers.

I’ve just heard on the news that the search for the third child continues this morning. Heartbreaking.

My ten year old has just gone on a week long lake based residential trip.

That is quite obviously a totally different scenario than what the OP was talking about.

Totally agree with OP. Happens every time there's hot weather. There's a disused quarry not far from here which a couple of summers ago became a "hang out" place for some of the local teens. It's SO dangerous up there and not just because of the water, the sides are very steep and there's all sorts of submerged stuff. My kids were warned under pain of death never to go near it, and if they were in a group who were all going to phone me right away and I'd come for them, whatever the time. They also has Police in school to talk about dangers.

Unfortunately teens will be teens, they know it all, it's only water, they're good swimmers, it's perfectly safe etc etc etc.

its not just teens and children, sadly a young man in his twenties dies a few weeks ago in a reservoir relatively local ro me , i can see why people would want to swim in them the water always looks so inviting and we have had weeks of lovely weather now

Neither of mine, nor any of my friends dc would dream of going in the water without their life jackets, even the ones who would be considered really strong swimmers.

Really? I live in Canada and have never seen anyone swimming with a life jacket on.
Where I come from the advice is, if you can't swim properly then don't go out of your depth.
The only person I ever knew who drowned did so after falling into the Niagara River just below the falls.
Why are lakes in the UK so dangerous?

adaline, you said it before I could.

Hideous. Those poor parents.

A couple of years ago there was a heatwave here. We live on a boat for context. Approached a very pretty lock situated by a weir and a pub which kids were jumping into. Doing backflips etc.

As we past I really REALLY wanted to make them aware of what they were doing and urge them to stop, it was like I could see a predictable tragidy unfolding before me but I couldn't say anything.. Parents watched on from the pub garden. I didn't want to be the kill joy or spoil our day by potentially getting into a confrontation. Low and behold there was a death.

Remind yours never to play near locks or weirs and never to jump from height before looking under the water, especially in water they think they know. Never to go alone and to plan in advance where they will get in and get out before getting in.

Why are lakes in the UK so dangerous

It's probably because open water swimming is rather a niche activity in the UK, not something that 'everyone' does.

Therefore, the people who drown in the UK, which are mostly children and young men, will usually be inexperienced in swimming in cold water.

Until they jump into the still cold water to cool off on a hot day, which can be few and far between in the UK, the majority of their swimming experience will have been in heated indoor pools, or much warmer waters during foreign holidays.

Swimming with a life jacket isn’t really swimming.
Mine have swum in rivers, lakes and the sea from a young age with us. It’s one of the loveliest, most exhilarating activities possible. Canals not generally as they tend to poor water quality.
Swim lakes are popping up all over the place but nothing nicer than walking for two hours to find a secret spot with a tarn and a waterfall. Just heavenly on a summers day.
It’s not the swimming or the lake that is dangerous per se. It’s weak swimmers, lack of acclimation andvsadly, often alcohol or silliness.
Local children have been jumping off the Chinese bridge into the Derwent for centuries; Frensham has its own beach, the Dart now has a competitive 10k swim.
There is a wild swim map to guide those newcomers. People are happy to share knowledge about swim spots. Spitchwick common on Dartmoor is lovely not a death waiting to happen and certainly no more so than Camber Sands beach.

Unfortunately there is no way to stop people, particularly children, overestimating their abilities and underestimating danger.

Growing up in Central Europe, everyone swam in lakes. There were a few overcrowded indoor public pools and nothing else. You couldn’t even buy a wet suit, never mind use one!

I think the huge difference is that as little kids, we’d play in shallow streams and small brooks, which were icy cold, from an early age. Swimming = freezing cold water.

There were also a lot of lakes with a gradual, shallow slope and kids stayed in the shallow parts where they could reach the bottom. First time I saw someone run and dive into a natural lake was in a movie!

i grew up in germany- we went swimming in lakes and quarrys a lot. but the main thing is, we did it a lot. everybody knew exactly how cold these things can get (jumping in was considered being incredibly stupid, definitely not cool), and we knew exactly where dangerous equipment was (swimming close to it intentionally led to being excluded from group and parents being alerted immediately- nobody wanted to be friends with and be responsible for an idiot). People not used to lakes are in real danger though.

"Swimming with a life jacket isn’t really swimming.
Mine have swum in rivers, lakes and the sea from a young age with us."

Yes, if you ever need a life jacket to compensate for a lack of swimming skill in open water then consider again if you should be in it. The other key bit is "with us" water saavy parents that supervise = capable children.

Same here Yura. Swam in lakes, rivers and quarries.
I think there's a lack of conversation around safety that makes these activities more dangerous here which is a shame as swimming in lakes and rivers is really nice.

We have Welsh Water in to schools to talk about the dangers of swimming in our reservoirs as many have lost their lives in recent years.

Indeed TheLionRoars1110 there are plenty of risks in life, it’s how we teach our children to assess and manage those risks that is key to safety.
A crowd of teenagers showing off, teenagers with alcohol, unfamiliar deep water are all frequently cited in water related deaths. That doesn’t mean the activity is inherently dangerous. Nobody in their right mind would let a large group of 11 year olds go to a beach for the day unsupervised. Most would happily take a couple of 11 year olds to a beach and allo them to swim once the sea conditions had been assessed.
People not swimming outdoors are really missing out on a fabulous family activity.

Ok thank you (re: wetsuit). It didn't occur to me that cold would cause problems. I wouldn't even get in the pool in Spain at Easter as it was too cold still, let alone get in dirty, possibly standing & stagnant, water. Why (and how) people can do it is beyond me. But that's beside the point, all thoughts should be with the boy's family and friends. So sad. :(

OP I think you are being unreasonable, though well-intentioned.

In the UK there is much hand wringing about childhood obesity, sedentary teens and kids of all ages glued to their phones or addicted to gaming.

Then we try to put the fear of god into them about indulging in what can be fun, relaxing or life exhiliaritng activities. Instead why don't we teach them how to assess risk and what to do if they do get into difficulty.

Most water deaths in the UK are as a result of suicide or people out walking or running who never intended getting into water. So we should all be aware of this advice

Also look at this video to see how a teenager stopped himself from drowning by following the advice not to fight the water but to float.

Why are lakes in the UK so dangerous?
According to the Canadian Red Cross, an average of 457 Canadians drowned each year between 2009-2014. Boating and swimming accounted for 34% and 32% of these respectively.

I think where you grow up being taught the dangers, either very obviously or much more subtly by accompanying adults, then the risk is less. However, learning about water safety and risk is key.

DD has swimming lessons and can only stop taking them when she finishes stage 6 as they swim in their clothes in this stage. We live in an area criss-crossed with canals. When we go to the beach on holiday this summer I'll be taking the opportunity to take her up to the lifeguards, learn the flags and spot rips (I grew up near the beach), so she can begin to learn good decision making around water.

Why are lakes in the UK so dangerous?

It's not that lakes are inherently more dangerous in the UK, it's that open water safety isn't taught here. I live in the Lake District and love going wild swimming. But I would never go alone, I would never just jump in from a rock or anything, I'd always wear swim shoes and I'd never go out of my depth. I'm a strong swimmer but it's just not worth the risk.

I see people encouraging their children to leap into lakes and tarns from rocks and shudder. Okay, that particular spot might be safe, but encouraging that behaviour makes them think it's okay to jump into any body of water and it's really not. Deep water can be really cold, especially up in the mountains or in reservoirs, and anyone can mis-judge a jump and whack their heads or land funny and injure themselves.

My DH's cousin drowned one summer after he fell from a jetski, it was caused by cold water shock.
He was a professional windsurfer, but on this occasion wasn't wearing a wetsuit or lifejacket.

Open water swimming is amazing - I swam all winter without a wetsuit - but it is vital to be hyper vigilant about safety.

This is so horribly sad. YANBU - tragically people don’t realise how different open water is to a pool, or how cold water can affect the body. Because some parents don’t know, they can’t teach their kids. My heart goes out to this child and family