It is always sad to read of deaths by drowning. Such tragedies are commonplace along our coasts. The most heart-rending of all is the many who die not through drowning but through lack of knowledge. Those more aware of how to respond in a difficult situation would survive.

Even poor swimmers can stay afloat for days so why do some perish within a few minutes of getting into difficulty? Many swimmers panic when they realise that they have overstretched themselves or been pulled out by the tide or current and are now too far from the shoreline. They quickly exhaust themselves and nature takes its course.

Water education, including swimming lessons, should be as natural a part of a youngster’s upbringing as is road safety. The first priority is to know one’s limitations.

If you want to test yourself swim along the shoreline, not away from it. Be aware that undercurrents are fast moving underwater eddies.

It is possible to escape them if you hold your nerve. An undercurrent will tug at your legs; by using the backstroke you will bring them to the surface.

IT COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE

It is difficult to see a person’s head from a boat’s deck. Take with you a brightly coloured flotation aid or hat. Even if you are unconscious, you will be spotted more easily.

When in trouble our first instinct is to swim to the nearest shoreline or riverbank. It is needlessly exhausting if to reach it you need to swim against a current or tide.

The water’s movement will usually deposit you on or near the banks. All you need do is make sure you stay on the surface and go with the flow. Flipping over onto your back is almost as good as wearing water wings.   

Swimmers, especially those in trouble needlessly struggle to keep their heads free of the water to breathe. It doesn’t matter if your face is in the water for 55 seconds every minute: you need only 5 seconds to replenish your essential air supply. Conserve your strength and consider your options.

COLD KILLS

Remember fresh water is not as buoyant as salt water; more effort is needed to stay afloat in freshwater rivers and lakes. Cold is a killer: Lakes can look inviting, especially on a hot day but a little way out or just beneath the surface it is as bitterly cold as on a winter’s day when you wouldn’t dream of going for a swim. Heat loss impairs muscle movement and induces heart attacks. This is why people drown in placid lakes.

If your legs become entangled in underwater weeds you can usually free yourself by propelling yourself downstream using your arms. Familiarise yourself with the location before you do anything foolish.

You wouldn’t run around a road wearing a blindfold; why leap or dive into water when you cannot see what lies below the surface?

Every year people die or are crippled by plunging into underwater hazards. Check the water’s banks and walls and avoid places where you cannot clamber out?

Never swim without an exit strategy. If you are a parent teach your children by example so that water safety becomes as natural to them as road safety. A STORY YOU JUST HAVE TO SHARE.

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THE STIGMA ENIGMA. Michael Walsh award-winning novelist. Double-crossed in love, ex-mercenary Jack Scarlett has the sinister sinners of Liverpool’s underworld in his cross-hairs. Detective Chief Inspector Eric Jansen vows to stop his high-octane lethal feud. Can Detective Chief Inspector Eric Jansen stop Jack Scarlett, and does he really want to? LINK TO BOOK   https://feji.us/he8fac

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