In reply to Dave B:
> It all hovers around the 160-170 each year.
I'm actually eyeing the numbers with some suspicion as the year to year variation is far smaller than I might expect from basic statistics. That itself could just be a small numbers anomaly...
> When the water is cold, then cold water shock is a problem when entry into the water is unexpected and sudden that can occur. The gasp response occurs about the time people go under and then its a quick drowning event.
Yes; we had a tragic drowning near us last year from this. Poor sod saw kids swimming in a river and decided to jump in. I don't think it's the more common cause of fatalities however? Although it doesn't seem to feature in many news reports, quite a few of the local summer river fatalities around here seem to involve alcohol and bad decision making.
> For cold water the loss of dexterity is generally the killer (not exhaustion per se), but the lack of ability to actually co-ordinate to swim. Hence the importance of bouyancy aids/lifejackets.
Thanks for that link. I enjoy swimming in cold water and have since I was a child. It's only recently that I've started to worry about weather people watching will then assume they can go for it without any worries, and get themselves into difficulties.
Wow. Humbling experience for the two adults on the trip.