FF- Your community Magazine
Page 22
Female Focus
No apologies for covering this topic again - WATER SAFETY IS PARAMOUNT especially at this time of year.
As usual this article is brought to you by the Asociacion Amigos Europeos de Javea which provides a private ambulance service akin to Intensive Care Units on wheels throughout almost the WHOLE OF COSTA BLANCA NORTH. In last month’s magazine we wrote about ‘Drowning and what to do’.
But given that already
been there a number
have of
deaths by drowning at our local beaches this year, we feel it doubly important to cover this topic again. Although it has not yet published figures for 2015, the Spanish National Statistics Institute
reports that for the
whole of Spain 438 people drowned in 2012, 422 people in 2013 and 436 people in 2014 - so we can clearly see how extremely important water safety is.
The problem, particularly on beaches in Valencia...
“Rip currents are not the typical currents found between the waves. They are like rivers that pull swimmers out to sea” says Antonio de la Cruz, a geologist who helped prepare a report by the Camilo José Cela University. “These types of currents are produced by gusts of wind that whip up the waves. The problem, particularly on beaches in Valencia, is that a huge amount of water reaches the shoreline, but the lack of depth means there isn’t enough space, and it is pushed out powerfully to sea.”
Long beaches, like those at Denia and Oliva, where the shorelines seemingly go on and on forever, are particularly susceptible to rip currents.
SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONS
Spain’s Health Ministry has issued a series of recommendations to swimmers to avoid accidents at the beach, river, or in the swimming pool.
- Choose safe places to bathe that are supervised by lifeguards. - Keep an eye on children at all times when they are in the water or near it. Do not let them swim unaccompanied. - If you do not know how to swim or are not a strong swimmer, use a life vest when in the water. - Always follow the warnings indicated by the three-flag system (green, yellow, red). - Drinking alcohol before bathing reduces one’s ability to react to danger, and could lead to unsafe behaviour. - Swimming at night is very dangerous.
- Leave the water as quickly as possible if you begin to feel tired or cold. - Before entering the water, test the temperature. - Wait two hours after eating before taking a swim.
In particular, stats show that 68 percent of deaths happen in areas where there are no lifeguards. This is highly dangerous. Carlos Urquía, a doctor with the Spanish Red Cross’s health and rescue department, highlights the danger of swimming on beaches without lifeguards. “If something happens, who is going to help us? The Red Cross has figures showing how its lifeguards have been able to intervene to prevent fatalities.
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