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?

Will you be fully clothed? How long will you give it before you jump in? Are you strong enough to rescue him and and swim to the bank. What if he’s trapped on something . Do you know what drowning looks like? It is silent and doesn’t look like you’d expect.

Drowning people often try to “climb” their rescuer, like a ladder. If you are not experienced in. this type of rescue you could both drown

Absolutely not worth the risk.

"there has unfortunately been tragedies" no probably not.

If theres multiple tragedies I wouldnt be comfortable assuming they were all down to cold shock alone.

Im not understanding why the river meeting the canal would have less current? Usually the river (faster) meeting a canal (slower) causes a very specific short bout of a current that can be tricky for boats nevermind people.

And im not following what fun DS gets jumping in their very specific place, with a lot of gear, with a parent opposed to pals, hopefully not needing a line youre waiting beside. And if something went wrong and DS was unable to get the line. What life guarding experience do you have to save him? Its not just jump in with a ring, there's techniques to avoid being pulled down by the person you're trying to save. Would you know what trouble looked like and how to save him?

No i wouldnt do this

Like a pp said, respect the water. I am in open water all the time, sea and river. So are my children. We don't go in if it's unsafe (and it's generally safe at the places we use) and sometimes the forecast/ apps aren't completely accurate and we arrive out to find that it's not safe to go in. So we don't. It's impossible to give you accurate advice based on your / any written description.

However in general yes I would allow this.

No!!! There are far too many variables, including unknown ones, to make it a safe proposition. You’d be better off canvassing the opinions of experienced people rather than randoms off an unrelated forum.

Theres a paraplegic YouTuber who made a similar undertaking and that led to his disability.

Jumping in is different to swimming, he is going to go deeper and how do you know wgatbis below the surface, hiw deep it is. If its near a lock surely there will be currents from tge sluice.
I think you are playing with fire. Over summer a teen drowning seems to be in the bdws every few days, most often with their parents watching. You seem a little naive about sone if tge potential dangers

Why on earth would you risk this?

Genuinely, to see if anyone had thought of something I hasn

You seem to be completely unaware of the reality of the potential dangers. So hopefully you will take note

What’s the point of your posting wasting everyone’s time when you have already made your decision.

sounds incredibly unsafe and high risk, especially for other children.

There's lots of information here OP especially on the dangers of swimming near canal gates. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a74a95440f0b61df477770b/Water_Safety_leaflet_76a791.pdf

I swim in the sea every day and have done life saving training. I would never put a child in the position you are considering for your son. Do you have any idea how hard it is to rescue a struggling 12 year old from water whilst you are fully clothed? How will you still him if he tries to climb you to keep his head above water? How will you get him out of the water? Can you perform CPR?

If it all goes wrong, are you prepared to tell your family that you were unable to save him?

If your lad kayaks can he not join a club and go out with experienced, trained staff who can give him a thrilling adventure without any risks?

He knows all about the dangers of weirs as he is onto kayaking. He would never swim into a weir.

As a child, I swam in lakes, and rivers, and very occasionally, the sea.

At some point, your child needs to be trusted to make their own decision on risk. So long as they are able to choose, and informed, skilled, and sober you maybe need to let them go. You have the rope, the life ring, etc. But... at some point, you have to loosen the ties.

On the other hand, police divers always need practice ...

Lots to think about, thanks all. I have some ideas to makes things safe but still interesting for him.

we live close to so many rivers:lakes here that I need to help him be safe in the water because I do not wanting him taking risks when he’s out alone in the future.

19 is a lovely temperature
yes, why not ?

Ridiculous post. Why not let him play dare on the railway line while he’s at it

Yes this would be my worry. He might have a cut or graze that could become infected or swallow some of the water. I’d be worried about weils disease or similar.

Can he not join a water adventure type group OP where he can learn about the dangers properly from people who know and also meet other kids with the same interests?

That would be the safest way to deal with this.

19 is a lovely temperature.
Jumping into water near canal gates is a terrible idea.

No body chooses to swim into a weir. People are often overwhelmed by currents and other forces beyond their control . Do you really not understand this?

He is in lots of water based clubs, so he is not as green as most kids his age around water. This was something of a ‘sideline’.

Do you not think I know where the weirs are on my local river?

So he is already doing this? Why are you asking if you already allow him to do this?

"we always check that nothing is coming from either side of the lock."

If the lock is automated it might open even when nothing is coming.

He's 14. In 3 years time, he will drive a car. Our precious children need to learn about risk, otherwise they'll be that 17-year-old who thinks they are invincible. My friend died that way - hugely protected, never got to weigh up what was safe, and hit a tree in a car at 17.