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'

When I was little, the local pool was an outdoor one fed by the tides - North Sea, so freezing. I had just learned to swim and was confident in the normal indoor pool, so I jumped in the deep end. Got cold water shock, nearly drowned, never forgot it.

Anyway. My advice is be the boring one. Never drink alcohol before you go in the water. Don't assume the people you're with haven't drunk alcohol or are at all sensible. Use a floatation device. And while I absolutely agree with the pov about teaching children proper water safety, if you have a quarry near you then that all goes out of the window - put the fear of death into them about quarry swimming.

Great thread. Thank you OP.

@Thatsjustwhatithink also makes some good points about teaching awareness and giving kids sensible exposure to water sports and swimming etc. The problem often comes when these children who have had little or no exposure to water safety become teenagers, because teenagers think they’re invincible at the best of times and suddenly you have a recipe for disaster.

We live in Surrey near the Thames and my heart always sinks when I hear helicopters overhead at this time of year. So often it’s because someone’s gone into the river and got into difficulties.

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.

I second this as this is when most people drown when they’re trying to save other people or pets. It’s hard when a child is struggling but at least ring 999 first so they can try and save you both. A man tried to save a child a few weeks ago and he ended up drowning it’s a common occurrence.

I live in Cornwall so have access to the sea but I never go if I am the only adult and I try and always go to beaches with lifeguards. Even the most confident swimmer can easily drown.

I live near the Lakes and there have sadly been more deaths than is usual even for a normal heatwave. There needs to be so much more awareness of cold water shock.

Someone made an important point that drowning doesn’t look like what you think it does. There re videos on YouTube showing this. Once you are the point of drowning you can’t thrash about and shout for help like in tv shows.

I live in a coastal town so know its not only water safety people need to think about as a lot of accidents happen on clifftop too.
Don't get close to the edge you don't know if you are on solid ground.
Selfies are just as good at a safer distance(honestly does happen).
Never climb on cliffs without proper safety equipment and only in areas where it is allowed.
If a sign says danger keep off/out it really is there to keep you safe.
Keep dogs on leads it really doesn't take much for a dog to go over the edge.

Another great tip I once heard from a friend is, if you are lucky enough to own a home swimming pool, regularly get your children to practice jumping in fully clothed (including shoes) and getting themselves to the side. The reason being that home pool accidents very often happen out of season when kids fall in accidentally and panic/struggle with the weight of wet clothes etc.

Mine seem to do a lot of float to live during swimming lessons even before they work on any stroke, they're floating and learning water safety. We live in an area with reservoirs, and there have been five deaths last week and always deaths every year. Heartbreaking.

Paddling pools/garden pools need a mention too. Children can drown in them. Don't leave small children unsupervised in a garden with a paddling pool (whether they or in it or not!) And if you have a raised frame pool, don't leave any way of climbing in for a child unless it has a hard cover. (Bin bags as sheets don't count as a cover!)

I did wonder whether the poor family in Loch Lomond could swim when I read the story. It must have been awful for the poor father to have witnessed.

When I was on holiday in the Maldives they had a big issue with Chinese guests not being able to swim but going on snorkelling trips etc. It was so bloody dangerous. On one of the trips I went on a lady got into difficulties- she should never have been allowed on the boat let alone trying to snorkel.

NothingEverChangesButTheShoes I agree with that. There is a lot of floating in my daughter’s lessons. They had a drowing prevention week recently and seemed to spend a lot of time shouting for help and floating.

what is "float to live"?

Remember that parts of the West Country and S Wales have massive tidal ranges (possibly the biggest in an urban area in the world). Huge amounts of water can move in very quickly so make sure you know the tide times.

I had a really very scary experience earlier this year in which I didn't think I was going to survive. I'm very confident around water. I grew up on the coast and spent most of my time swimming in the sea from as young as I could remember. I'm also a very good swimmer with very strong shoulders. I went paddleboarding on one of the local rivers a few months ago with my family. We were having a great time. Some of us in canoes and some on boards. The water was lovely, the weather was hot, so stupidly, very stupidly, towards the end of our session, I decided to slide off my paddleboard and have a little swim. Big mistake. I underestimated how cold the water was and how strong the current was. I couldn't swim. It was just too strong. I started to panic. I was holding the edge of my paddleboard but I couldn't get myself back on it. I was flailing around in in water and I started to think I wasn't going to survive. I did have a lifejacket thankfully. Not sure how much worse it would have been if I didn't. Luckily, my step son came back for me and managed to help me back onto my board. Since then, I've still been swimming and using open water but definitely proceeding with more caution and not letting my self assurance and confidence drive.

Even if you are just going paddling in a stream, walk down stream a bit first to see whats there, if its a waterfall or area with high banks pick somewhere else. I grew up in an area where streams went from shallow to deep and dangerous very quickly.
Do not go in any watercourse that is in flood.

@blaisealex

I had a really very scary experience earlier this year in which I didn't think I was going to survive. I'm very confident around water. I grew up on the coast and spent most of my time swimming in the sea from as young as I could remember. I'm also a very good swimmer with very strong shoulders. I went paddleboarding on one of the local rivers a few months ago with my family. We were having a great time. Some of us in canoes and some on boards. The water was lovely, the weather was hot, so stupidly, very stupidly, towards the end of our session, I decided to slide off my paddleboard and have a little swim. Big mistake. I underestimated how cold the water was and how strong the current was. I couldn't swim. It was just too strong. I started to panic. I was holding the edge of my paddleboard but I couldn't get myself back on it. I was flailing around in in water and I started to think I wasn't going to survive. I did have a lifejacket thankfully. Not sure how much worse it would have been if I didn't. Luckily, my step son came back for me and managed to help me back onto my board. Since then, I've still been swimming and using open water but definitely proceeding with more caution and not letting my self assurance and confidence drive.

And to add, I definitely would have fared better if I'd used the float to live thing. But in the panic of the moment, all I did was thrash around.

If there are 40 no swimming signs at a country park, they are there for a reason.

www.edp24.co.uk/news/petition-calls-for-change-after-bawsey-pits-death-8074942

I also think people need to remember that they've - kids especially - have done very, very little swimming for the last 18 months.

Many people have done much less exercise and are considerably more unfit than they were two summers ago and they really need to take that into account.

I entered a triathlon several years ago, the swimming element took place in a moat. When it was our wave, I stepped in an and cold water shock took hold almost immediately; my lungs felt as though they had shrunk to the size of a walnut. I was in trouble but was quickly brought out of the water and I will never put myself through that again. I had no idea, I do my best to raise awareness and rarely swim in the sea these days!

This is really useful. Thank you.

Absolutely agree no inflatables such as toy dinghys, lilo’s and stuff but paddleboards etc. are fine IF you’re experienced, know the local water and hazards and always, always have a phone/ radio in a waterproof cover.

Tealpink

Was it the quicksand that they got stuck in?

I don't know where you are, but I thought Camber Sands was dodgy when I went there, and weird currents sweeping across the sand cut off different bits of it into islands. I can't understand for the life of me why it is viewed as a family-friendly beach.

Parts of The Gower Peninsula, where I used to go, have strong currents, but the beaches are rocky and look a bit scary some of them, so you are warned somewhat.

@Diverseopinions

Tealpink

Was it the quicksand that they got stuck in?

I don't know where you are, but I thought Camber Sands was dodgy when I went there, and weird currents sweeping across the sand cut off different bits of it into islands. I can't understand for the life of me why it is viewed as a family-friendly beach.

Parts of The Gower Peninsula, where I used to go, have strong currents, but the beaches are rocky and look a bit scary some of them, so you are warned somewhat.

I had a feeling @tealpink was referring to the Sefton coast

Excellent idea for a thread. One of the recent drownings not too far from me, heartbreakingly sad and of course avoidable.

I grew up with a mother who was so terrified of water having nearly drowned in an open water incident that she couldn't even take a bath! She addressed her fear much later in life in her 60's and even learned to swim! Though she still stays in shallow end.

Dad was a good strong swimmer but also a very sensible and aware sort of this kind of thing. He taught us all to swim at a young age and also taught us how to safely assess open water areas.

It's so important.

Great to see the "float" poster too

I drummed into dd from a young age to avoid certain areas, not to swim alone, after drinking etc

But I also agree we need more parents and indeed govt encouraging swimming, learning to swim, learning water safety and yes how to respond in an emergency.

@SvenandSven totally agree cliff top safety needs teaching too

@Aroundtheworldin80moves yes I think those with hot tubs need to be cautious too

Also swimming gear shouldn’t be blue, bright colours are much easier to see.

@Diverseopinions no, while the beach is renown for it it was the tide coming in fast. It was Crosby beach. We have so many visitors each year due to Antony Gormley’s iron men and really need more life guard patrols. The gentleman who sadly died was visiting from Stoke for the day. Locals know the dangers and there are signs but on a hot sunny day, people relax