To mention some water safety issues we all need to know?

[Northernlurker]

Having read of some awful tragedies over the weekend with open water I thought I would start a thread with a few points and others can add. Because not everybody has had the same exposure to open water risks so what is common sense to one person is utterly unknown to others.

Open water in the UK is cold. Really cold. Even on sunny days. The deeper you go, the colder. This can take even fit and well people by surprise.

Don't jump in to unknown water ever. We are a rocky country populated by messy people. Water hides rocks, logs, metal and all manner of hazards.

Piers and jetty lead out from the shore to deep water so boats can be accessed. Don't regard them as an extension of the shore. The water will be both deep and cold.

Swim parallel to the shore, not out to sea.

No inflatables in the sea ever.

Tides move faster than you can walk, know what your exit route is.

If you can't swim, don't go out of your depth. Don't try and help people in trouble. You help just as much by fetching help or fetching items people in the water can hold on to.

Make sure your teenagers know these principles.

And remember 'float to live'

We have a similar beach here @watersafety nearly all locals know its a spot to be careful off. Literally nothing to suggest this to tourists, which in a tourist prime location is madness. There is an 18 year old lost at sea from this spot currently :(

That is desperately sad @WaterSafety, condolences to you and your family members. And also madness that there aren’t signs up about the rip currents - I’ve seen a lot of signs lately on beaches showing the way the currents look in the water etc which are so helpful.

There is an awareness raising endurance event going on at the moment - a man who tried to rescue people drowning on Mawgan Porth a few years ago, is paddling round Britain. Well worth a look.
thelongpaddle.co.uk/

@Karaokehell2021

We have a similar beach here *@watersafety* nearly all locals know its a spot to be careful off. Literally nothing to suggest this to tourists, which in a tourist prime location is madness. There is an 18 year old lost at sea from this spot currently :(

Yes, I live on the NW coast in a touristy area and we have similar beaches and docks where locals are always warning tourists to be careful of certain spots because every local knows they are danger hotspots but they aren't highlighted on signs etc in the area.

There has actually been a local campaign to improve safety equipment and signs on the beaches/docks etc and the local council are currently looking at the best ways to provide better information to tourists but until that actually happens then tourists are blissfully unaware of the danger they are in.

@undermycatsthumb

That is desperately sad *@WaterSafety*, condolences to you and your family members. And also madness that there aren’t signs up about the rip currents - I’ve seen a lot of signs lately on beaches showing the way the currents look in the water etc which are so helpful.

Thank you

It really is madness that such a dangerous and known risk isn't highlighted, especially on a beach that is mostly used by tourists from the nearby holiday park.

My family were strong swimmers but they don't live on the coast so they aren't used to the sea and the different dangers it poses compared to other open water (we often visit the lakes and go lake swimming etc) and do they didn't know what to be looking out for. I have no doubt that there will have been other families on that beach who had never been open water swimming before and also wouldn't have had a clue what to do, so even just a single sign about riptides/what to watch for could literally have been lifesaving.

That's so sad @WaterSafety.

I agree that there needs to be more safety signs, and maybe signs similar to those that they have on the A1 in Northumberland which state the number of deaths that have occurred so far on that stretch of the road. If they had signs that indicated the number of drownings maybe it will make people think twice.

Everyone is right that the sea and inland lakes and reservoirs should be treated with the utmost respect. I used to scuba dive in UK lakes regularly - even in hot summers the water would be 5C or colder once you were a metre or two down. Also these places have currents which are impossible to swim against, even if they appear serene on the surface. And plenty of snags and obstacles, some natural (rocks, weed) some manmade (junk, worst of all wire). Just don't do it.

This is such an important thread. I grew up in west cornwall and we teach our kids to respect the sea here and understand the tides abs currents. I am hyper vigilant with the dds. However there are idiots getting stranded and or drowning at a beach here that Instagrammers are obsessed with who think they know better.

Every year I read about that toxic quarry in Derbyshire is it? That's another death trap

I live by the sea. I got a pack of plastic whistles on neck strings from Amazon for couple of quid. I wear one and so do the kids. They know it is only for if they are in trouble. Such as issue in the sea (though they only paddle but but just incase), incase they can’t see me when they return (lost), incase someone approaches them (lots pedos on the Isle of Wight!!). These are great to teach children to use in all Situations

@larkstar That's a useful and salutary warning, but I hope it wouldn't put anyone off going to the wonderful Jesus Green Pool (or Lido as it now officially called) where I have been every morning so far this week. It is long, and earlier in the season the water can be cold, but as a (barely) average swimmer I've never found it dangerously so, and there are always life-guards. It is a great place for open-air swimming for anyone who can handle a shallow end of 1m.

Apologies if this has already been mentioned, but I saw a really interesting post on Facebook, written by a lifeguard, about rip tides at the beach, how to identify them and what to do if you get caught in them.

Post below along with some of the pictures they shared (the last one shoes a rip tide after dropping eco friendly dye into the water):

“As a former surf lifesaver I constantly find myself when I'm at a beach automatically in patrol mode, and I'm always troubled seeing the amount of people that enter the surf straight into a rip zone. This includes, and most worrying of all children. I know a lot of people are kind of aware of what to do if caught in a rip, but it has been brought to my attention recently that a lot of people aren't aware of what a rip actually looks like or where the safest place to swim at the beach is if there is no flagged area.

One person will drown every two to three days this summer... 90% of those fatalities will be rip-related. Here are a few things that will help you and your kids stay safe this summer. I have also put together a few images that show what to look for.

1. The easiest thing to remember is that often the safest/calmest most enticing looking area along a beach is usually a rip. A rip is usually the area devoid of wave activity and appears darker and deceptively calmer. It can sometimes appear milky or turbulent, but it is always pretty much void of wave activity. All that water coming in via waves has to go back out somehow, this is what a rip is. (see pics).

1. Always take 5-10 mins when you get to the beach to observe surf conditions and identify where these areas are.

1. If you are caught in a rip, DO NOT PANIC. Go into floating mode and raise one arm as a distress signal when possible. See which direction the rip is taking you, is it straight out or at an angle? once you have determined this, and if you have the energy, swim to the right or left of the direction of flow, never against. Some rips can move at 3 times the speed of an olympic swimmer, you won't win! If you cannot swim out to either side of the rip, just go with it. Most rips won't take you out very far, and will usually spit you out not long after they take you, so keep calm and save your energy for the swim back to shore.

1. If you have kids, show them these pictures, educate them and make them aware. You can't always be watching them, and it is only a matter of a few metres each way of the point of entry to the water that could mean them being safe, or instantly caught in a rip.

Obviously the safest place to swim is always between the flags on a patrolled beach, but this isn't always practical given the immensity of our coast line and number of beautiful beaches. Of course there are many other factors that can come into play when it comes to beach safety, but rips are the No.1 killer. They are not hard to identify, and 10 mins observation before entering the surf is much easier than body retrieval.”

Currently at a lake nearby to me, they are searching the waters for a 14 year old boy. The lake is well know for having currents. Very sad day 😢

Some more pictures of rip tides

One of my close friends died not long after his 40th birthday mid iron man competition a few years back. It was a total shock as he was fit, regularly trained and had done several iron man comps at that same location. He'd swum then collapsed while doing the bike ride part. They were checking if the temperature of the water had anything to do with it. Not sure of the outcome but it was a horrible tragedy.
On a different note, if you do want to acclimatize yourself to colder water then you can do it gradually in the shower and slowly increase the time you can spend under the cold water.

If only that family had been driving home today instead of Saturday I don’t imagine they’d have stopped. It’s bouncing with rain atm

Agree there should be safety signs but you will still see people ignoring the signs unfortunately. A few years ago we visited Monastery (aka Mortuary) beach in California - one of the most dangerous beaches in the world - and there were still families taking selfies with their backs to the water ...

8/9 years ago now, a little boy fell into the sea from the jetty at our local beach. The tides are so strong here, he was swept out and stood absolutely no chance. His poor parents had absolutely no idea how dangerous playing on the Jetty was, so this topic is fab and needs to be taught far and wide.
The entire town was in complete silence whilst the helicopters were searching and the sound of one makes my blood run cold to this day. I very often think of him and his family, and it is absolutely heartbreaking. Water safety is so important.

@PattyPan

Float to live is really good and I would add that if you cannot float (my DP can’t, because he is underweight so too dense), then you need to stay out of cold water and wear a life vest when doing water activities.

I didn’t know body mass had a bearing?

Maybe that’s why my daughter can’t! I’ve always said she’s got the buoyancy of a brick. She’s very, very slim.

Sorry if this has already been posted.

Most children who drown do so within easy reach of an adult or caregiver. They most likely won’t be yelling and splashing around - they will be exhibiting some or all of the following signs; body upright, head tilted back, mouth at water level, most likely silent, arms parallel to the water, eyes glassy or unfocused, appearing to climb a ladder, trying to roll into back, gasping, failing to make any headway.

Children have been known to drown mere feet away from caregivers actually watching it happen, but not recognising it. It’s really important to know the signs.

It's a shame that a lot of the open air pools/paddling places have closed. I do see the appeal and when it's hot, I am one to launch myself in the nearest stream for a paddle! You don't want to be in a stuffy indoor pool

Also blue algae is poisonous both to humans and dogs but can be fatal for dogs and they can die from 12 to 24 hours after being exposed in the most serious cases.

@RampantIvy

That's so sad *@WaterSafety*.

I agree that there needs to be more safety signs, and maybe signs similar to those that they have on the A1 in Northumberland which state the number of deaths that have occurred so far on that stretch of the road. If they had signs that indicated the number of drownings maybe it will make people think twice.

This ^^

Something as simple as signage could make all the difference. Large boards advertising the Float to Live message would also help - so many people have no idea what it means.

Well done.
But also, reeds under the water can wrap around your hands and feet then pull you under.
You cannot swim like normal if in the water, you lie on your back, float and only gently move your hands not your feet.
You also don't know what's under the water such as old trolley's or lumps of metal, which can cut you.
Unless you part of an open water swim group, don't swim in open water, it's nothing like a pool, even as a very confident swimmer, I wouldn't go in open water.

Don’t know if this has been mentioned as I haven’t read the full thread. Curling into a ball helps you surface when there are undercurrents. This definitely worked for me when I finally remembered to do it in a raging river. And once up, stay in a horizontal position so as not to be sucked under again.