Skills to escape the sprint

Recently, there have been many cases of drowning leading to death while swimming in the sea, not only among people who cannot swim but also among those who can. In addition to being equipped with swimming skills, what should you pay attention to when going swimming in the sea?

People and tourists swimming at Phan Thiet beach. Photo by Ngoc Lan

Know how to swim but still drown

Summer is the time when adults and children often choose to travel to the beach to enjoy many things, including swimming in the sea to dispel anxiety, stress, and improve health to continue working after the beach trip. Somewhere, swimming in the sea always has potential risks for people who cannot swim and those who have good swimming skills.

Since the beginning of 2023, the whole province has recorded several cases of drowning (locals, people from other provinces) while swimming in the sea, some were lucky to be saved, some died. Among the dead, there were also people who knew how to swim. Many people were quite surprised and did not believe that they could still drown even though they knew how to swim. Because for a long time, many people thought that once they knew how to swim, drowning while swimming in the sea was unlikely to happen.

Some old fishermen in Phan Thiet advise: “Don’t be subjective, knowing how to swim means you don’t have to be afraid of drowning! Even if you practice swimming every day, but if you encounter a rip current or whirlpool while swimming without experience escaping the current, the risk of drowning and losing your life will come, let alone people who don’t know how to swim”. There are many characteristics that cannot be described in words, based on experience, looking at the water and waves will help you know where there is a rip current or whirlpool or not. Sometimes, people fall into that current and then feel it and show each other how to handle it so as not to be exhausted and avoid drowning.

When the tide is out

Rip current is what fishermen call it, scientifically called rip current, a strong current flowing from shore to sea, causing many drowning incidents when swimming in the sea. The characteristic is that everything that falls into the rip current is swept away from shore and out to sea at a fairly fast speed. That is, this current does not pull swimmers into the water, but only pulls them away from shore towards the sea. Beaches often have rip currents, which are not easy to recognize.

Mr. Nguyen Van Keo (Phan Thiet) shared: The rip current and the whirlpool make good swimmers panic and lose direction, endangering their lives. Once panicked and disoriented, swimmers will try to swim to shore. This causes exhaustion in the rip current and whirlpool and leads to drowning. For those who cannot swim, bathing in a rip current, even if the water is up to the waist, will be pulled further and deeper, which is considered drowning and "death" is imminent. To recognize a rip current based on experience, the bubbles and floating objects on the water surface instead of reaching the shore are swept away from the shore. While bathing, the swimmer feels the sand under their feet sinking very quickly, the water current carries the sand away from the shore. With the above-mentioned recognition of where there is a rip current, the swimmer quickly leaves that place.

According to Mr. Keo, when swimming and encountering a rip current or whirlpool, the swimmer must stay calm, not try to swim against the current to shore, but float with the current. By doing so, the swimmer avoids being overwhelmed by the current and being swept away from shore; at the same time, he/she should signal for help. When far from shore, the rip current weakens, the swimmer should find a way to escape this current and swim to shore. In addition, swimmers should wear life jackets, swim in designated areas and follow the recommendations and announcements of the rescue team along the beach to stay safe while swimming.

Source: https://baobinhthuan.com.vn/ky-nang-thoat-khoi-dong-nuoc-rut-109618.html