To let DS12 jump in and swim in the river

[Pleasedontputthatthere]

I have a 12 y/o son, he is a good swimmer, he is heavily into kayaking so knows some techniques from there etc. We live near a canal/river where kids jump in and there has unfortunately been tragedies from cold water shock.

DS asked if he wore his wetsuit and flotation device (life jacket) would I take him to where the river meets the canal to let him jump in. There is no current here as the ricer splits off to meet the canal and I am there with a line set-up should anything happen. He jump from a flat surface into water which he has already swum in, to prevent the risk of cold water shock.

I think that's all the info you need, trying not to drip feed.

Would you let your child do this with you sitting there the whole time?

Yes I’d do first to check and go with others

No for this reason:
where kids jump in and there has unfortunately been tragedies from cold water shock.

No. I'd also be worried about him hitting his head.

The water in rivers is currently running at about 19 degrees.

has he done open water swimming before?

ideally to prevent cold water shock he’d get on slowly and acclimatise his body and swim a bit before jumping in.

the danger is that in some people (and I’m one of them) the cold and water can trigger reflexes to stop breathing and cause all sorts of problems.

Which is why he swims before jumping in, so his body is used to the temperature of the water.

I still wouldn’t

Yes, he swims for ten minutes before any jumping. He then jumps from lower levels and builds up to a bigger jump. He jumps away from the lock gates and we always check that nothing is coming from either side of the lock.

I trained as a lifeguard, and I wouldn't.

Respect water at all times.

No, especially as there’s been tragedies with cold water shock. We live on the banks of a tidal loch and I’ve witnessed so many near misses with people wild swimming and not realising how cold it is.

Nope not at all ever. The water is probably filthy and you have no idea what's underneath.

As he's acclimatising to the water by swimming and wearing appropriate clothing cold water shock wouldn't be my issue. How does he know what he may be jumping on to? Having worked with people injured from tombstoning I would be cautious.

I wouldn’t because you don’t know what is on the river/canal bed.

Mine swim in the sea and jump off piers all the time. They are 10 and 12. Been doing it years, pretty much year round too.

the danger is that in some people (and I’m one of them) the cold and water can trigger reflexes to stop breathing and cause all sorts of problems.

https://www.webmd.com/children/features/secondary-drowning-dry-drowning

If you really can't stop the lad, then please - in the name of God - make sure they never ever go alone or out of sight of their companion (who for hopefully obvious reasons is not dunking themselves).

There will be a current. Canals are not still bodies of water. The current may also be unpredictable given it is connected to a river and has locks upstream. I would say no, given you seem to not understand this.

I am trained in Inland Water Rescue. If you don’t know how to read the water properly then you shouldn’t be going anywhere near it let alone permitting your child to do so.

How clean is the water OP? Unfortunately, a huge number of rivers and canals in the UK are polluted by untreated sewage. For that reason alone, I would never enter a British river or canal without first checking the quality of the water. You don't want your DS to end up with e.coli.

Canals can be very stagnant too, deep, cold and with hidden obstacles.

No

someone, a strong swimmer died in a ‘safe’ area of a local river

when it comes to water, unless it’s a swimming pool there is no safe water, anything can and does happen

Canals also aren't very deep generally ...

I think while you are taking some sensible precautions, I wouldn't allow it. It could encourage other children to join in and while you aren’t responsible for those children, you might be giving the impression it’s a safe activity when it could actually be really quite dangerous. Are you experienced in water rescue?

I mean, it’s hard to know without seeing the body of water in question and how big the drop is.
If you grew up swimming in rivers as I did some of these responses seem OTT, but I appreciate I was a child and not the mum at that point in my life. 19C is not very cold so I’d be less worried about cold water shock and more about the height of the jump and the depth of the water.
Can you put it off until next summer and go along when all the kids are doing it? Assuming it’s a seasonal thing mostly

Seems sensible enough to me as
long as he knows why he has to take it seriously and would only do it with an adult present

Yes, which can a) increase the risk of an injury and b) lead people into a false sense of security when it comes to currents. It only takes a few inches of fast flowing water to knock you off your feet. Canals may have a slower current generally but when there are locks, weirs and river connections added it can become unpredictable, especially if you have no clue how to read water.

Yabu even for really good adult swimmers it can be incredibly dangerous. Cold water shock, undercurrents (which aren't seen), harmful bacteria from the water, debris that can cause injury list goes on.

i would be concerned about the bacteria

So you are thinking of letting your child jump in where there have already been tragedies (plural). Why are you even considering it. Just say no.