Sw sa e th s summer

The ea hes are all n , and learn n a ew sw n and l esav n sk lls w ll rove ene al

BY VINAYA RAI

Summer’s here and the beach is here e ll head to as much as ossi le o er the ne t fe months. ea shore ri er an s or la es lo ely cool ater and ossi ly ater s orts ma e them the est lace to e. o e er these idyllic thoughts a out summer came to a halt hen read a line in an article that made me sit up and think, ‘One in four dro ning deaths in ol ed eo le orn outside of ustralia. The highest num er of dro ning deaths ere of eo le orn in hina e ealand ngland outh orea and ndia. any of those dro ned ere long term residents too. ccording to statistics er cent of dro ning deaths (not ust eo le of ndian origin) ere those ho had een residing in ustralia for more than ten years. Similarly, 19 per cent had been living here for at least fi e years hile eight er cent ere international students. rres ecti e of the gruesome statistics, even one death by dro ning is too much nd these deaths are considered re enta le.

i en the fre uency of dro ning deaths it is im erati e to e careful around ater odies. ost of us don t no s imming and those ho do ecome uite o erconfident. e must remem er e en strong s immers need hel if caught in a ri a strong localised and narro current of ater hich mo es directly a ay from the shore. Therefore it is crucial to follo certain practices before visiting beaches, including learning to identify a ri and s imming et een the flags so if you or someone else is in trou le hel ill e readily a aila le. ne of the ha its e ha e ado ted as a family all good s immers e ce t me is not to s im too far out after the lifeguards ha e ac ed u . e lo e s ending time at the each till dar ut ensure e stay in the shallo area or on the sand. n a study conducted y oyal ife a ing Australia titled, ‘A 10 Year National Study of erseas orn ro ning eaths the main reasons attri uted to dro ning include oor s imming s ills and eing under the influence of alcohol. The author of the re ort Stacey Pidgeon says, “Regardless if someone has migrated to Australia recently or lived here for years e urge eo le of all ages and ac grounds to learn essential s imming and lifesa ing s ills to e a are of asic ater safety rules and no hat to do in an emergency. et your children to artici ate in a ater safety rogram and e en if they no ho to s im ee a close eye on them including in ools and onds. l ays ear a life ac et hile out oating.

Try and take responsibility for your safety, consider your a ility o ser e the arning signs and ne er s im alone hether in the sea or a ri er. lso steer clear of ta ing intoxicating substances before going for a s im li e alcohol and or drugs for they ill se erely im act your udgement.

As summer comes knocking, do consider enrolling in s imming or ater safety lessons if ossi le. can t thin of anything orse than calling the family of a young person to inform them of a tragedy that occurred on a fun day at the each. a e fun en oy the sun sand and ater ut at the same time do ta e care and stay safe.