Summer Danger..

There was an acident near me at the Blue Lagoon, This is just another of many deaths that have resulted from people swimming in lakes ect.

Linky

They are still trying to find this poor chap that fell out of a boat.

I am wondering why there have been so many deaths - Is it people getting out of there depth or are they drinking / eating before they swim ?

How many of you would swim in a quary or lake ? I have many times but I am a strong swimmer. I am however very carefull about currents and obstructions under the water.

[Bifta]

Originally Posted by Stuartbe

There was an acident near me at the Blue Lagoon, This is just another of many deaths that have resulted from people swimming in lakes ect.

They are still trying to find this poor chap that fell out of a boat.

I am wondering why there have been so many deaths - Is it people getting out of there depth or are they drinking / eating before they swim ?

How many of you would swim in a quary or lake ?

Have done several times, reservoirs too, admittedly I was completely sober each time.

[TheBlueRaja]

I did it once off the Isle of Wight - really daft and foolish too i was - we were on a boat just off the coast, had been drinking like a fish all day and it was toasting so a few of us decided to just jump in and have a swim. So i and a few others dive in and when i pop up again and turn round to look at the boat its bloody miles away (the current was strong). So there i/we are (and theres a guy further back than me) thinking - oh crap - and i think - should i swim to the boat or not? (I even concidered the swim to the shoreline as well such was the challenge of getting back to the boat)

Either way i decided to swim for the boat, ****ed and against the current, fortunately i made it - but if i got cramp.

One of my mates got picked up by another passing boat, we probably would have been able to get to him but the driver of our boat had decided to dive in too and was still struggling to get back to the boat (i was now the only one on the boat and wondering how the heck i would drive the thing if i had too).

Either way he was able to make it back and my other mate got dropped off by the "rescue" boat.

Sobered up a bit after that.

[Nidge]

We've all done it me included, we used to swim in the trent when we were young, we also used to swim in Hardwick lake on a Sunday afternoon, always sober never drunk. I can even remember swimming in the river wear in Durham when we used to go up there to visit relatives. Makes you wonder whats in the water nowdays because we never heard of anyone drowning when were young.

[Halcyon]

A very good post indeed as it reminds us of the dangers.

I've heard many stories from my uncle of when he was a kid and used to jump off dams that have huge deep lakes behind them. He said how dangerous it was now he remembers back to what he did.

Dams, estuaries, and the sea have varied currents and tides and it is important to know about tide times, or swimming restrictions.

I've swam in a few lakes and the sea at night but always where I can touch the bottom. The thing with quarries and lakes is that they are often very deep and if you are stuck in the middle, it can get a bit panicky as you cant touch down for a rest.

I think a lot of people who do die in these circumstances do not respect guidelines such as tides, or have been heavily drinking and are unable to react accordingly in the water.
I have always been told it is also important to take a break after eating a large meal than going into the water straight away, and never going in after a long exposure to the sun as you need to gradually let your body get used to the changes in temperature.

Other deaths I've read about include people who mis-judge their abilities and what they can do. you hear many stories of people going on holiday abroad and then coming back with concussion or serious head injuries after diving off cliffs and not knowing there were underlying rocks or currents.

[Rob]

I suspect it can be as much about the temperature of the water relative to the air. Yes drink, swimming ability and the like come into it too. When it's nice and warm, it is a considerable shock to the body to jump from air at 25 deg C or more into water whcih iin a lake of any real depth may still be below 20deg C. Now as water conducts heat well over 20 more efficiently than air does, you r body radpidly notices the change. For many that is just too much and the shock alone can be enouhg to literally "take the breath away".

[Jules]

When I was 15 a friend at school went swimming in a local pond/lake and got his foot stuck in stuff that was on the bed of it

RIP Chris you are still remembered

[Halcyon]

This reminds me, its also worth being extra careful if you have a pond in your garden and are having people over. Its so easy for a little kid to fall in so make sure they keep away from that area of your garden.

[Kliro]

Our biology teacher told us a couple of years ago that its something to do with the rapid change in temperature, which can cause the muscles to 'lock'

[zoombini]

I can rememerb as a 10 yr old lad, me & a mate borroewd a rowing boat from the boat sheds on Canvey island, we were intending to row to the mainland.

We got a few hundred yards & the tide went out leaving us stranded in the muddy creeks.
Luckily for us a bloke turned up in waders.
he told us to either take our shoes/trousers off & slither through the mud off one way or sit in the boat & explain to the police.
needless to say we got rather muddy

[Wicked_and_Crazy]

Originally Posted by Stuartbe

I am however very carefull about currents and obstructions under the water.

You often cant see currents, certainly not when your in the water. Nor can you see submerged objects as open water is never clear enough.

DONT SWIM IN OPEN WATER, DRUNK, SOBER, BEFORE OR AFTER EATING.

JUST DONT DO IT
__________________

Originally Posted by Kliro

Our biology teacher told us a couple of years ago that its something to do with the rapid change in temperature, which can cause the muscles to 'lock'

Thats correct, and lakes can be very cold due to the depth of the water

[Millay]

In;and water claims as much as two lives a day in exce[ptionally hot water..

It does not heat up so the shock to the body can bring on cramps etc...

Howether nice it might sound... dont do it fill your bath with cold water, it weill have sthe same effect...