What age would you let your DC swim in the sea by themselves

[Seawars]

DC are good swimmers though not used to swimming in the sea. Sea quite a long way out and adults sat up the other end of the beach - so DC in sight but as the beach is busy it is hard to keep track of them. Children swimming properly (not just paddling) with body boards etc - though they've been told not to go out of their depth.
What age would you let them do this?

I'm intrigued as me and my friend clearly had totally different expectations about this on Saturday - despite my DC being the stronger swimmers.

It depends on the sea.

the rough Cantabrian surfers waves… 13/14 ish.

the gentle med.. about 9/10.

I let my 8 year old strong swimmer go in alone whilst sitting on the shoreline close by but the rule is only up to your waist.

50

There is no chance in hell that I would let that group of kids in the sea on their own. It would be stupid and neglectful

Not until they are 18 should they be swimming too far for you to go to their aid or call for aid very quickly. And even then, they should know to never swim alone for safety reasons. I don’t think sitting so far back from the waters edge that it’s “hard to keep them in sight” is a good idea at all.

The sea isn’t a lake or a pool, it should be respected more. Even if they are such strong swimmers they can handle freak waves, currents, and rip tides there is always the odd jelly fish or shark that could come by. There’s also always the chance of flotsam too….I was swimming with a friend and she got her leg broken when a wave tossed a railroad tie at her out of nowhere. If I hadn’t been there, she’d never have made it back. I was also swimming with my DC in Florida when a tiger shark started cutting across the waves towards my two older teen DC very strong swimmers but having so much fun in the waves that they weren’t watching around them and they were clueless. I had to scream at them to get back to shore and swam over putting myself between the shark and them. We moved so fast we teleported out of the water. Then we waited for the shark to lose interest and continue up the coast. But if I’d been sitting reading a book, because my DC are strong swimmers, I shudder to think what would have happened.

I’d be watching from the shoreline like A hawk though, I can’t imagine relaxing into a book until they’re adults!

My ex called me back from sea swimming when he thought I was too far out…I was 25. He grew up on the coast, and was twitchy about anyone out of their depth when in the sea.

10 is far too young, especially if they are going to be vaguely responsible for anyone else, which is how I have read the OP’s posts?

It would depend on the age of the children and the beach. But for inexperienced children on body boards... I'd be stood watching them until they were late teens. I assume if they were on body boards they were wearing life jackets as it's incredibly easy to get pulled out to sea without realising it?

I do admit to being pretty uptight re swimming in the sea as I'd probably still be watching them when they are adults! 😂 Hence me asking to see if I was being totally neurotic!

This. My aged 15 year old is a good swimmer and can do a mile - but just no to sea swimming. She paddles and will go very slightly out of her depth but that’s it. We are lucky we have a sea marina lake here and they are well out of their depth in there - if they go too far. It’s not a pool and there is no lifeguard.
we swim together in the sea lake and then after 30 minutes or slightly longer we put on buoyancy aids

I'm in my 30s now and my parents let my brother and I go into the sea alone with bodyboards from ages 8 and 10. We were given a maximum distance (e.g only to the furtherst buoy) and told to stay within the flags. Waved at if we went too far/flags changed etc.

Used to go in for hours and nothing happened. Primarily UK - Bournemouth, Cornwall.

We go to a lifeguarded beach and I'm mostly still with them and my youngest is 13. I swim around by myself but keep an eye on DD.
If its dead calm I'll let her stay in for longer but srill watch her. I can only do 20 minutes before getting blue.

No lifeguards?
Your friend is an idiot. I don't say that lightly
In any case letting a group of under 10s swim in an unlifeguarded spot is risky even with parental supervision
Suggest you watch some videos about riptides

Putting a life jacket on a 15 year old who can swim, in a lake, seems totally bonkers to me.

Had a 12 year old, used to sea swimming, get in trouble last year. They had been in their depth and with friends but the current picked up as the tide came in and they were swept along. All fine in the end but panic stations at the time.

I would say reasonable swimmer, between the flags and with a lifeguard then 10. I won't let them in the water without a lifeguard nearby or an adult in the water. Adults shouldn't sea swim on their own, so neither should kids. If a group of kids together, would they all know what to do in an emergency, or would you end up with several kids in trouble?

For me it's more about swim abilities.
My eldest (19) has a SUP and youngest has a kayak (14). We tend to go out as a family or they go out with friends. Never on their own.
Body boarding I think they are about 12/13 without my standing nearby and always within the flags on the beach.
We were in Cornwall last week and eldest and I went boarding at Hayle, it was hard work and I'm glad I was with her.
I saw so many out without life jackets when kayaking, paddle boarding and so many young ones without adults doing body boarding. My daughter ended up having to help a group of kids as they had flipped their kayak.

On their own, probably 15 at the earliest and even then I’d be keeping a close eye.

I'm a strong swimmer, swam competitively for years, and I still avoid the sea unless it's very flat and unusually warm out as we're on the Irish sea and it is bloody freezing. And I know what tide time is safest to swim, what to do if there's a rip current, etc. I wouldn't let kids swim here pretty much ever - paddling/wading about with supervision, but not swimming. Abroad on a beach that was shielded by breakers further out or was very flat and shallow for a long way I'd be slightly more lenient but I'd still want to make sure they were old enough to understand how dangerous it could be, that they were strong swimmers who knew what to do instead of panicking and have an eagle eye on them.

I grew up at the coast, there's a few drownings a year. All too easy for it to go wrong quickly.

I don't have children, so this is hypothetical for me, but I'm generally quite a laid back person about my hypothetical parenting choices (spoken like someone who has no idea as they haven't done it, obviously haha!) but this is something I wouldn't mess about with.

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one very nervous about the sea! I'm a confident swimmer and swim (in pools) multiple times a week but the idea of sea swimming stresses me out and I definitely wouldn't be comfortable going in without someone keeping an eye out for me nearby.

@Fitzfatsfeist good question about if kids know what to do if one of them got into trouble. I'm not sure I'd know what to tell them apart from calling for help. None of them would be strong enough to help another child and probably end up in trouble themself.

All those saying they wouldn't watch teens, teenage boys are most likely to drown. The dreadful news of drowning recently have been teens and upwards.

Posts like burnedoutdr are not helpful, those that drowned can't reply.

I agree.

Honestly, never. Waist deep at most, the sea is just too dangerous.

I'm a very confident swimmer and still feel quite nervous to swim in the sea. I'm not sure I would ever let mine do that and I'm usually quite a relaxed parent!

And I know what tide time is safest to swim, what to do if there's a rip current, etc.

Exactly.

One of the other points - relevant to those holidaying at this time - is knowledge of the sea / beach you are at.

Often when we go on holidays, we have no idea - and the drownings typically happen when people are unfamiliar with the place wheel they are swimming. They may well be strong swimmers, and being sensible, but the sea can be so dangerous (we had three drownings in ten days in Ireland, 2 were on well-supervised beaches, with lifeguards, and where the rescue services were alerted immediately.)

I go to a beach in West Cork for years. It's idyllic. But it's incredibly dangerous. There are lifeguards, and clear warning signs (lethal riptide & a 'shelf' so you get out of your depth scarily quickly & unexpectedly). But just looking at it, it's hard to see the danger.

I'm a sea swimmer, not a hope would I let a child (read: under 18) out swimming in the sea on their own. I swim in pairs or as a group, all the experience and confidence in the world cannot compete with stray currents, riptides, strong waves... Once they're adults that's different, do what they want but not kids. Especially if they don't know how to get themselves out of a situation.