Summertime and Swimming

Summertime and Swimming

The summer is fast approaching, with all the great things that summer brings. The sunshine, blue skies, green grass and the school holidays. Time for kids to come away from the television or the computer games, and get some great outdoor days, swimming, hiking, playing.

There will be, by the end of the summer however, an annual statistic directly linked to hot sunny days, and that sad figure will unfortunately be, the inevitable number, (hopefully very small), of children who will drown this season.

It is not inevitable, but the odds are more likely than not, that because they were unable to swim, a number of young people will drown this summer.

The nature of open water in this country is such that drownings will occur, and not just confined to non-swimmers, but as a parent or guardian of youngsters, you will be aware of which way the odds lie.

Open waters have a natural attraction, particularly when summer temperatures rise, the higher the temperature, the greater the attraction! Youngsters, particularly unsupervised, may dare, or cajole each other into going into the water, and certain bodies of water can be fun and be safe, others can be outright death traps.

Swimming in quarries or reservoirs can be fraught with dangers. Which is why swimming lessons for your children are so important.

They can appear placid and inviting, but quarries in particular can be hiding many hazards. One the most common causes of drowning in these type of waters is that the water temperature can change within a foot or two of depth, quite dramatically.

The deep water does not warm-up like the surface layers, and cold spots can be shocking, to such an extent they can literally take one’s breath away, the blood rushes to the core and can leave the limbs incapable of movement, so to reach warmer water becomes impossible.

Quarries are formed by mining minerals, often leaving very step sides, and possible toxic residue from whatever may have been extracted. Underwater obstacles, such as discarded machinery can pose threats, as can dumped waste and rubbish.

Canals can carry the attraction of water right into towns and cities, as do rivers, lakes, ponds and fountains. Water is an attraction to all, particularly the young, it always has been and always will be, but there is something you can do to minimise the potential risks it carries.

Making sure your children learn to swim is the nearest to an insurance policy you can get. If your child can swim, the chances of becoming a summer statistic get very low indeed.