UKC

A useful reminder about where the real risks lie in open water swimming and why improved access and education might cut risk.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jul/23/at-least-17-people-drown-in...

Some tragic stories up here in Cumbria. People forget, or simply don’t know, how dangerous open water is.

RNLI doing some great work around educating people should they get into trouble. 

https://rnli.org/pages/ppc/beach-safety/beach-safe-float?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI...

 Stay safe out there. 

I work in a building right on the edge of Salford Quays and whenever it's hot, the water is teeming with people of all ages jumping in from the sides or off the bridge and generally swimming around and having run.  After the unfortunate death of a 19 year old lad at the weekend there's been a police / PCSO presence all around, warning people of the dangers (I'm presuming they're telling people that swimming isn't allowed but being ignored as it's not having much effect).

Education and swimming safety has to be the way forward, surely.  Telling kids not to swim in water seems like a bit of a pointless exercise especially when it's as hot as it is at the moment.  Water is like a magnet to kids.

I've been a bit guilty in previous years of inwardly tutting at people swimming in the Quays when it's been hot.  Then it suddenly dawned on me I was only doing it because I'm bitter and jealous at the fact I was watching them from a hot, stuffy office.

But yeah, stay safe.  Get your kids familiar and comfortable and confident with water from as early an age as possible.

When I was a kid, the idea of swimming in the ship canal would have been laughable, not to mention suicidal. Whilst it ain't perfect, it is so much better than the polluted plague pit it used to be

For those wanting to understand the risks and educate themselves on how to safely swim outdoors I highly recommend The Outdoor Swimming Society:

https://www.outdoorswimmingsociety.com/summer-safety/

Lots of info on water quality, identifying low risk locations and if course understanding the dangers and how to avoid those.

As with climbing outdoor swimming is not without risks, but the vast majority of the fatalities are from people make silly or illinformed decisions on when/where our how to access the water.

Well Mrs TC did a bit of open water swimming a couple of years ago and it seemed 'fairly' clean.  However I went for a walk around it for lunch last week and there some really weird things floating around in it...I can only describe it as yellow / orange basketball sized blobs of congealed grease.  Everywhere.  I don't know what the hell it is.  And the surface has a really oily sheen to it (plus the usual amount of litter that falls in there).

I know they used to clear some of the junk in there on a regular basis before swims or other club activities happened and I guess this hasn't been happening since lockdown.  But it looks truly awful at the moment.  I'm hoping the kids who are in there have had their usual jabs...

I used to swim in my local canal and it beggars belief how revolting it was when I recall this.

I used to also swim in my local river, including jumping off the bridge.  The area by this bridge was dredged by the police following a serious crime and they left the dedgings on the bank for the local oiks to throw back in. After seeing what was below the shit-brown surface under the bridge, even as teenagers, me and my mates never went back in.

I recall canoeing in the same river and regularly paddling through slicks of condoms and sanitary items, turds melt before the get to the river.  I can't believe it can be that bad now.

The inflatable unicorn drowning in Wakefield seems to tick both boxes.

It once happened to our group. We went to Vivian quarry for a dip, jumped in and one of us suffered an arrest and died. Unfortunately hasn’t stopped me jumping into lakes, only last week jumped into llyn Gadair to cool down before a solo climb of Table Direct and it was marvellous.

These public information ads were horrific:  youtube.com/watch?v=XNPMYRlvySY&

Yeah, those chirpy cockney whipper snappers were really annoying weren't they

Not half as disturbing as this mind...

youtube.com/watch?v=t2VvcOHi2E8&