Water Safety

[FarAwayHills]

I have just heard in the news today of yet another terrible tragedy on our coast. I also recently witnessed a the near drowning of a child in holiday which I shall never forget.

I really think that we need more high profile awareness campaigns in schools and on TV in this country regarding water safety? We are surrounded by water yet not everyone is aware of the dangers and how to stay safe around water especially when it comes to the sea. People need to be aware just how volatile and unpredictable even seemingly calm water can be even for the strongest of swimmers.

I know that sometimes these tragic accidents just happen but I also believe that more could be done to promote safety and awareness around water.

it's not clear what happened in this very sad incident - but one link says that despite red flags now being up, there are still people going swimming today at Newquay.

there's only so much that campaigning can do.

I have just tried a search on dangers of big waves - but it leads only to USA and Australian sites. I would hope that people would know that red flag means unsafe to swim.

There had been warnings of bad weather for the SW from Wednesday at least (I get Met Office updates), and it should be evident that you avoid the sea when the wind speed is increasing. I get cross because others are put in danger when they have to rescue people from the consequences of their own stupidity. I am sorry for the family in Cornwall, but this was avoidable.

There have been an appalling six deaths this weekend, and from the bbc account - there need not have been.

I was in Cornwall at the weekend. I think the problem on Friday was that the sea rose very quickly - not unexpectedly as you say, as the wind was picking up and it was already a high tide, but we were in the sea at 2pm and it was fine, but by 5pm it was huge.

If you were on the beach or rocks watching the tide come in, then it may have caught you out.

No idea why anyone is swimming now though.

It's hard to know why people take risks and ignore warnings when it comes to water. Is it that holiday feeling, the excitement of blue sea, sand and sub that makes people forget?

I saw that too. I sincerely hope "given a comprehensive safety briefing" is code for "had an absolute strip off her". Stupid woman.

3 times?!? She needs to be billed for the cost- that's nuts!!

Same goes for all water.
We've flooding and people drive through flooded roads and get stuck.

If you don't live near the coast it's hard to understand how quickly the sea and weather can change, plus shelving and tow etc. I grew up near the sea and you quickly learn that sometimes you just cannot go in or even near.

There were high winds and this would have made conditions unsuitable for in many places even paddling. Young children and non swimmers should not even have been near. People seem to have taken silly risks.

There needs to be comprehensive water safety lessons in schools and better swimming tuition. At present they only require kids to be able to swim 25 metres by year 6 which is woefully inadequate, I was starting my RLSS medals by that time, some schools only do 1 terms swimming in a year.

Children need to be supervised closely at all times whilst paddling and nobody should be going in the sea during red flag.

More tragedy on our beaches today
www.google.co.uk/amp/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/37178643?client=safari

I was there - even as those people were being airlifted out there were dozens of people dicking about in a rapidly advancing tide. Madness.

There was a Water Safety Week earlier this summer. DS (7) did the same training at school, Beavers and swimming lesson all in the same week, so there was certainly a lot of awareness raising around here. He remembered quite a lot of it, and was pointing out things out and talking about rip currents etc when we were at the beach yesterday.

What grates though, Team GB have just come back from Rio with loads of medals, lots of £ poured into sport, yet we have a voluntary/charity Lifeboat!!! And I say this as a cyclist who lives about 65 miles from the coast!

It's great that your DS had a water safety week BikeRun and even more impressive that he remembered it in the excitement of being at the beach. know they had something at my DCs school but it was more about what to do in an emergency. They do have a week of bike safety which is great but I think the same time needs to be given to Water Safety in schools.

There also needs to be a hard hitting TV campaign on adult and kids tv, like the ones we had for road and electricity in the 70's and 80's as many adults are clueless when it comes to the dangers of the sea.

Part of the problem seems to be that few people are used to swimming in open water so people who can swim well in pools take risks in the sea.

I agree, swimming in a pool is hugely different to open water of any kind even ponds or lakes but more especially the sea. Also I have found that people often say they are strong swimmers and their actual level is far below that, also your fitness level comes into it too.

There does seem to have been a huge amount of drownings both here and abroad. We see the news from DH home country and there have been a lot there too. Maybe the water safety message needs to be gone over.

I am a sailor with 30 years exprience of the sea. What I know about the sea and weather would take me a long time to describe to someone else. And some of that was learned the dangerous way.

I would not expect someone who lives in a town and has never seen the ocean or experienced tides to have the knowledge to keep themselves safe.