Beach and Water Safety
We asked the one of the UK's national service providers, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, to advise us on how families can stay safe on the beach this summer.
With many families set on a UK staycation this year, it is only expected that beaches will be a hotspot destination for most people to flock to. After all the beach is an ideal place for some well needed, relaxation and fun for all the family. However all that fun and frolicking can be hugely compromised, to turn very sour, very quickly should we not follow some standard rules and regulations set out by the RNLI.
The RNLI recommend looking at the Met office app or website to find local tide times and weather forecasts before you set off for your visit to the beach. Lifeguards will also put a board of information next to their huts that will give you information on the weather for the day. This advice applies for any activities that happen at the beach, including water sport activities such as paddleboarding or bodyboarding.
Beach Activities
Stand-up Paddleboarding has increased in popularity significantly over the past year as more and more families have been holidaying in the UK instead of going abroad. A fun beach activity, paddleboarding can be enjoyed by the whole family but it comes with its risks. In 2020, RNLI volunteer crews witnessed a huge increase in call-outs to paddleboarders in difficulty. Here are some simple tips to help you keep safe whilst paddleboarding:
Bringing your phone to take some photos? Make sure you keep it in a waterproof pouch. That way it won’t get wet, and you can use it to call for help in an emergency too.
Check the weather forecast and tide times before you set out. If the water is too choppy, you might find it difficult, especially if you are a beginner.
But be aware, the conditions can change quickly.
Avoid offshore winds. They will quickly blow your paddleboard far out to sea, which can make it extremely tiring and difficult to paddle back to shore.
You should wear a suitable personal flotation device. This can be a buoyancy aid or a lifejacket.
Choose one that still allows you plenty of movement so you can paddle freely. Not only will it keep you afloat, but it will also help give you time to recover should you fall in – and chances are you will!
You should always use a paddleboard with a leash. There’s nothing more frustrating than having to swim after your paddleboard if you fall off. The leash will also help you stay connected to your board if you get into trouble and help you float.
If you are launching on a lifeguarded beach, make sure you launch and recover between the black and white chequered flags. There should be less swimmers in this area, giving you more room to manoeuvre. Consider other water users by learning the rights of way in the surf. This can save you and others getting injured.
Get the appropriate level of training. You might be tempted to just buy a board and head out. Having a few training sessions can teach you the right technique, so it’s more stand-up and less fall-in paddleboarding.
You can find out more about beach safety here: rnli.org/safety/beach-safety
PhotograPhy: Double exPosure PhotograPhic
Talking to your children about staying safe at the beach
Even if you and your family don’t live near any seas, rivers or canals, water safety is incredibly important; particularly as children start to become more independent. The water can be unpredictable so instilling healthy respect for safety when near the coast is vital. To get started, watch the RNLI's short Water Safety Education Video and share key safety advice with them in the run up to a trip to the coast. The RNLI’s Youth Education homepage has plenty of teaching resources and activities for children of all ages. Have a look through the resources and whenever you can, relate the lessons to the real environment e.g. a beach you visit regularly. When Covid-19 restrictions allow, the RNLI’s Water Safety Volunteers and lifeguards visit schools and clubs to speak to children about staying safe at the beach. However, like everything else, these workshops are now virtual! Your school or club can invite their volunteers for a workshop.
Swim Safe with Free Swimming Lessons
Swim Safe is a free, fun outdoor swimming session with fully qualified lifeguards and swimming instructors at select coastal and inland locations across the UK. Many children love to swim – but swimming in the sea, rivers and lakes is very different to swimming in a pool. Swim Safe is a communityfocused programme that gives children aged 7–14 an opportunity to learn how to be safe in and around open water. The practical sessions are designed to help young people who can already swim 25m unaided, which improves their swimming ability and feel more confident in the water. There are public sessions and sessions specially designed for schools. To find out more, visit swimsafe.org.uk
How can you support the RNLI?
If you want to keep the children entertained whilst also supporting a lifesaving charity, consider signing up for a Storm Force membership.
For just £12 a year, your child will receive four issues of the Storm Force magazine, online access to their Crew Room with great activities and rescue videos plus a membership pack with crew bag, pencil case, stickers and more.
You can join the Storm Force team by visiting their website and they have plenty of ideas and resources for those who would like to fundraise.
You can also make a donation at RNLI.org/GoDonate.
Water Safety
This year the Drowning Prevention Week which is the national campaign run by the Royal Life Saving Society UK, aims to cut down the number of accidental drownings that occur each year and support families affected by drowning. The next campaign will run from 19th to 26th June and teams up with the RNLI to issue their Water Safety Code: “The Water Safety Code is not about laying down the law and restricting people’s fun,” explains Mike Dunn, RLSS UK Deputy Director of Education and Research. “Traditionally, the summer months have the highest incidences of drowning, as people seek quick, easy ways to cool off and have a good time in the water. The Water Safety Code is just a few simple, easy to remember steps that will help keep you, your friends and your family safe around water this year. RLSS UK believe that an accidental drowning is a tragic yet preventable loss of life. We’d like to encourage people to spread the Water Safety Code so everyone can enjoy the water safely.”
Other things to consider:
Be your family’s lifeguard
Whether there are lifeguards at your resort or not, you can keep a closer eye on your family than anyone else. Make sure no-one in your family swims alone, and watch everybody like their lives depend on it (because they do). Also, try to choose a holiday company that provides lifeguarded facilities.
Keep children safe
As well as keeping children under constant supervision, make sure that they wear their swimming/safety aid all the time when they are around the water. To stop them wriggling out of it at every opportunity, choose an aid which doesn’t restrict their movement and that they are happy/ comfortable wearing in the water and on land (such as a SwimFin).
Swim now, drink later
Don’t mix alcohol and swimming. Alcohol is a factor in 20% of drownings in the UK.
Look out for more tips and courses as part of RLSS UK’s Drowning Prevention Week, which runs this year from 19 - 26 June. Find out more at rlss.org. uk/dpw or call 0300 323 0096
Help to spread the summer water safety message!
Drowning accidents are always especially high in the summer months and over the last few years we have heard of too many tragedies that could have been avoided. Every year people drown both at home and on holiday because they don’t take simple precautions, so reaching people with water safety messages is vital. We want people to enjoy the water safely. Please help to avoid another tragic summer this year by spreading the following water safety advice far and wide:
LOOK OUT FOR LIFEGUARDS
If you’re looking for a place to cool off, always find a lifeguarded swimming site
IT’S COLDER THAN IT LOOKS
Water at open and inland sites is often much colder than it looks, cold water can affect your ability to swim and self-rescue
DON’T GO TOO FAR
Always swim parallel to the shore, that way you’re never too far away from it
IT’S STRONGER THAN IT LOOKS
Currents in the water can be very strong. If you find yourself caught in a current – don’t swim against it – you’ll tire yourself out. Stay calm, swim with the current and call for help
BRING A FRIEND
Always bring a friend when you go swimming so if anything goes wrong, you’ve got someone there to help
Always follow the WATER safety code
Whenever you are around water:
In an emergency: Look for the dangers. Always read the signs.
Never swim alone. Always go with friends or family. Only swim where there is a lifeguard.
Shout for help and phone 999 or 112.
If you fall in, float or swim on your back. Throw something that floats to anyone who has fallen in the water.
