Water ACTIVITY COMPANIES & SAFETY

Most people assume that if a company offers activities in a body of water ie. quarries, rivers, lakes, the sea, that they also offer adequate and professional water safety cover and practices. This isn’t always the case, however. At present, anyone can set up a company and start offering guided activities in the water. Whilst most approach these activities in a professional and safe manner, some do not.

There have been a few high profile cases in the last few years, involving events that shouldn’t have gone ahead and ended in tragedy and companies that simply weren’t taking anywhere near the right level of safety precautions and planning they should. One in particular, saw a number of people lose their lives and the owner of the company sentenced to a lengthy prison term.

WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR :

You don’t need to be a professional lifeguard or have any experience to observe the safety measures a company have in place. You also have every right to ask questions of the company and receive satisfactory responses.

Firstly, the company should have qualified and preferably experienced members on the safety team...or a team leader with adequate experience. There are obviously some better and more thorough qualifications out there, than others. Instructor to client ratios should also be ‘acceptable’. The RLSS suggest a 1 to 10 ratio, for larger open water swimming events. We’d go along with that but possibly suggest a slightly better ratio for smaller groups. 1 to 10 works well with a larger event, with powered vessels on standby and a dedicated ‘land’ team. This level of support isn’t practical with smaller, one-off swims or events. We feel a better ratio here, adds that extra layer of safety. Possibly 1 to 5 or 6. Especially as there’s only one guide in this scenario. You have to consider what happens if there is an incident, as that one guide would be focussed solely on that incident and not so much on the other participants. The distances involved and access to exits also play their part. If you had a group close to shore, swimming short distances, in favourable conditions you could cover a larger group.

Second point, what rescue equipment do they use.

Jet Skis, Inshore Rescue Boats and other powered vessels are ideal but aren’t always practical and massively restrict the areas you could swim and operate…they’ll also put up the price and accessibility. It’s also never that pleasant inhaling fuel from a vessel, if you’re down wind and they’re noisy.

Kayaks, cover long distances quickly, are visible to other water users, can carry safety equipment easily and offer a favourable vantage point but aren’t very practical. If a swimmer lost consciousness there’s not a lot the kayaker can do other than hold the person and wait for help. They are useful as part of a team set-up, alongside other rescue equipment but we’d question why a guide operating by themselves would choose a kayak.

Rescue Boards, used worldwide by beach lifeguards, offer a good vantage point from a kneeling position and can cover distances at a decent pace. They can also be used to pick up swimmers and paddle them to an exit point or safety. Most are bright yellow and whilst kneeling, are visible to other water users. Users can store safety equipment in a bag and wear the bag, whilst comfortably still using the rescue board.

Rescue SUP, offers the best vantage point of all the non-powered rescue craft and can cover distances at a decent pace. They can pick up swimmers and carry them to an exit point but with much greater difficulty than a rescue board. With a lot of SUPs being inflatable, their handling ability can be influenced by the wind direction and strength. Available in bright colours, with a standing or kneeling operator, they’re highly visible in the water. Users can store safety equipment in a bag, strapping equipment to the board itself or wear the bag, whilst comfortably still using the board.

Rescue Tube, can be handy for short swims and swims close to the shore/exit points, or with powered vessels that can’t access shallow water, rocky areas, caves etc. What you have to consider is the effort and speed required to assist someone back to shore. They require considerably more energy to tow someone to safety. In the instance of a major cardiac event or stroke in the water (where time is crucial), I wouldn’t want to be rescuing someone with a rescue tube. It’d take too long and you could reach the shore tired and then potentially have to carry out first aid. They don’t offer a great vantage point (especially with choppy conditions), when you have multiple swimmers and aren’t as visible in the water to other water users. It also makes it difficult to take safety equipment with you.

Throw line, sensible to use when swimmers are close to shore, provided the rescuer has another form of rescue equipment, should the line be too short or possibly the swimmer loses consciousness etc.

CONDITIONS :

Always be prepared not to enter the water. If you turn up to an event or swim and aren’t happy completing the activity in the conditions, don’t go in. A good company should recognise unfavourable conditions and offer an alternative to entry, whether that be a refund or voucher… The conditions should match the activity and expected swimmer demographic for that specific event.

REVIEWS :

…might give you an insight into the companies reputation and/or highlight any complaints. It’s also possible to conduct an online search into the company and see if they feature in any news articles.

CANCELLATIONS :

We like a company that cancels events. Whilst it’s highly annoying for the swimmers (and organisers!), it shows that they have safety at the core of everything they do.

YOUR RESPONSIBILTY :

Enter the right event for your ability. You should have a good idea of what you’re capable of. If you enter an event but don’t complete adequate training, aren’t used to the expect water temp, have never swum those sort of distances, have been carrying an injury or don’t feel well… don’t just turn up and give it a go. You put yourself at risk and others. If the safety team are dealing with you, they’re not focusing on other swimmers. There’s no problem with attempting a long distance swim but maybe build up to it, trying shorter distances first.

WE SPOKE TO :

…Tom, from Sea Swim Cornwall about water activity providers and water safety. He said :

“Don’t ever be afraid to ask a company about their safety record, practises, risk assessments and other questions. A good and responsible company should always be open and happy to answer any of these concerns. I’d also strongly advise you to read the terms and conditions for any swim or event and thoroughly read through any safety information you’re sent. Water safety is primarily the providers responsibility but some of that responsibility also falls on the swimmer and the actions they take in the water”.

He goes to say that “…the issue with some events, is that they have sponsors, a water safety team, marketing and insurance costs, hundreds/thousands of entrants… so there’s huge pressure to hold an event, even in adverse conditions. All I’d say is never enter an event or swim where you’re not comfortable with the conditions. Don’t ever enter an event thinking they’ve got water safety on hand, so you’ll be fine!”