5 things every parent MUST know before taking their kids to the beach, from safety chiefs
Beaches, although fun, can become dangerous places if your child doesn't know how to stay safe in the sea.
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Staying safe at the beach is essential
Credit: Alamy
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The RNLI has five key tips to keep you safe at sea
Credit: Alamy
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) says that there are five key things for families to remember when they head to the beach.
Following these instructions could save someone's life and it's important for your children to
1. Choose a lifeguarded beach
Lifeguards are specially trained to keep beachgoers safe in the water.
Last year, RNLI lifeguards helped 17,068 people on the beach who had gotten into difficulty in the sea.
They patrol over 240 beaches in the UK and the Channel Islands, meaning that there will also be a beach nearby where they can help to keep you safe.
Going to a beach without a lifeguard means that it will be much harder to get immediate help, should something go wrong.
2. Float to live
If you are struggling in the water, kicking or trying too hard to tread water can lead to exhaustion.
This heightens the risk of drowning.
Instead, tilt your head back and submerge your ears while breathing normally.
Use your hands to stay afloat and relax.
Shock footage shows bikini-clad women brawling on a beach in Ukraine after group started 'playing Russian music'
This will allow you to float safely until help comes.
It is essential that children learn this vital skill too, so practice in a pool with them before you head to the beach.
3. Know your flags
The RNLI also warns that it is important to know what each flag being flown at the beach means.
If you want to swim or body board, then you must stay between the red and yellow flags.
You cannot swim if only a red flag is flying as this means the water is too dangerous.
Beachgoers planning to use surfboards, paddleboards or non-powered craft must stay between the black-and-white chequered flags.
Swimming in that zone is strictly banned.
4. Know the risks
It is important to teach your children about the risks they might face in the sea.
'FLOAT TO LIVE' ADVICE
The 'Float to Live' advice is a key message in the RNLI's national drowning prevention campaign, Respect the Water.
It urges people to follow this potentially lifesaving advice if they find themselves in trouble after falling into cold water:
Fight your instinct to swim hard or thrash about – this can lead to breathing in water and drowning.
Instead, relax and FLOAT on your back, until you have regained control of your breathing.
For more information and instruction on how to Float to Live and the RNLI's campaign, visit rnli.org/pages/ppc/beach-safety/beach-safe-float
Rip currents, for example, can drag you out into deep water, which could put your life at risk.
If you get caught in a current, do not try and swim against it.
Instead, go with the current until it eases and then swim back via a different route.
Also, check that the water temperature is safe to swim in.
Entering cold water too slowly or swimming when the temperature is dangerous low could put you into cold water shock.
This is often characterized by an involuntary gasp, an increased heart rate and rapid breathing, all of which could lead to drowning.
Water below 15°C is generally considered to be too cold to swim in, as it causes your body to constrict blood vessels, which increases your heart rate and blood pressure.
5. Call 999 or 112 in an emergency
In the event of an emergency, you must call 999 so that the emergency services can help you.
Alternatively, the 112 number - which can be used in any European country - can be called, if you need help.
Take your phone into the sea with you, in a waterproof pouch, so that you can call for help even in the water.
Inflatables at the beach
Jo Talbot, commercial director at the Royal Life Saving Society, has also warned against using inflatables at beaches.
She says: "We wouldn't recommend people using inflatables at beaches.
'You could get caught by the wind and taken out of your depth, which would be extremely dangerous.
Jo added that buoyancy aids, like armbands, are still not enough on their own to keep your child safe.
She added: "They can help a child stay buoyant in the water.
"But the parent needs to stay next to the child at all times, in case those aids come off and the child gets into difficulty and starts to sink."
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