How to avoid drowning: swimming pool, sea, advice

At all ages, swimming involves risks, which is why it is important to adopt the right preventive reflexes. Most drownings are preventable. In its drowning watch point during the summer of 2023 from July 7, 2023, Public Health France reports 233 drownings were recorded in France, including 84 deaths (36%) between June 1 and 28, 2023. This number was higher at weekends and during hot periods such as the second weekend of June 2021, the heat wave that occurred from June 15 to 19, 2022 and the last weekend of June 2023. However, the total number of drownings is down 25% compared to 2021. Concerning the places of occurrence, 37% occurred at sea, 35% in a watercourse and 14% in a pool private. These data are preliminary and should be consolidated in the coming weeks. These results, updated throughout the summer, will guide prevention and regulatory actions.

What advice to follow before swimming?

• Make sure of your level of practice and ideally, have a lifeguard recognize your ability to evolve in the water in complete safety.
• Adapt the intensity of your swimming to your abilities and do not overestimate your swimming level.
• Choose supervised bathing areas where the intervention of rescue teams is faster and absolutely avoid prohibited or dangerous bathing areas. In any case, even if the area is supervised, it is advisable to always remain attentive.
• Find out about swimming conditions from the staff in charge of surveillance (nature of the waves, intensity of the currents, tides, natural hazards, etc.)
• Respect the safety instructions indicated by the bathing flags and/or the lifeguards.
• Do not swim if you feel any physical disturbance (including fatigue, health problems, chills, body aches)
• Remember that it is more difficult and tiring to swim in a natural environment (sea, lake, river) than in a swimming pool.
• Do not consume alcohol before swimming
• Tell a loved one before swimming

What advice to follow while swimming?

• Get into the water gradually especially after long exposure to the sun, wet the neck first, then the arms and belly, especially if the water is cold. Pay particular attention to temperature differences: the body could suffer hydrocution or thermal shock which could cause discomfort, even cardiac or respiratory arrest.
• At the slightest shiver or physical disturbance, do not bathe and get out of the water immediately.
• Remain vigilant during swimming and pay attention to the impact zone of the waves: certain areas such as the head, neck or stomach are more fragile.
• Before swimming away, make sure of your physical condition and your fatigue to be sure of being able to return to land. Keep in mind that it is easier to swim in a pool than in a natural environment (sea, lake, river…).
• Do not consume alcohol while swimming.
• Do not expose yourself excessively to the sun before swimming.
• If practicing a nautical activity, bring the recommended safety items such as a helmet, a life jacket…
• If a person is drowning, notify rescuers immediately and do not lose sight of it until the lifeguards are in the water. Once the drowned person is out of the water, emergency services must be contacted as soon as possible, who will give the procedure to follow (put the person in the lateral safety position (PSL) so that they do not choke and that they spits out the water from his mouth, perform cardiac massage…)

What to do in the event of an accident or illness?

• Do not fight against the current and the waves at the risk of becoming too exhausted. Calming down is the best solution because stress could make the situation worse.
• If possible, lie on your back (in the plank position) to rest and regain strength: this helps to clear the airways, to breathe normally and to be able to call for help more easily.

What advice with children?

• Always watch your children, whether they are bathing or playing at the water’s edge, even if they are wearing armbands.
• Bathe, as far as possible, at the same time as them.
• Designate only one responsible adult who is responsible for supervising the children.
• As soon as they are close to the water, equip children who do not yet know how to swim well with armbands with CE marking and standard NF 13138-1. These armbands must be suitable for their size, age and weight.
• Buoys or other items floating in the water do not protect against drowning.
• We remind you that it only takes 20 cm of water for a child, without supervision, to drown.
• Learning to swim : Most drownings are preventable. According to Public Health France, nearly one in six French people (16%) say they cannot swim; this proportion increases with age: 5% among 15-24 year olds and more than 35% among 65-75 year olds. It is therefore important to teach children to swim as early as possible or at least to accustom them to the aquatic environment, even if these conditions alone cannot protect against drowning in children. It’s never too late to learn to swim, even as an adult.

dry drowning – also called delayed drowning – occurs out of water a few hours to a few days (72 hours maximum) after swimming. Unlike wet drowning, which is characterized by ingestion of water and collapse (sudden discomfort accompanied by a drop in blood pressure) of the respiratory system, dry drowning is manifested by respiratory failure due to recent immersion in liquid. Concretely, if someone has drunk the cup or almost drowned, the risk of dry drowning exists, even if it is relatively rare. Symptoms of dry drowning are similar to those of an asthma attack: cough, difficulty breathing or wheezing. Furthermore, if after drinking the cup or after nearly drowning, stomach aches, fever and intense drowsiness occur, call the Samu (15) or the emergency services (112) to listen to their advice and specify what happened in the water.

→ During swimming:

Whether the pool is buried or semi-buried, you must equip it with a safety device. Barriers, pool enclosures or covers physically prevent access to the pool and are particularly suitable for young children. Always remember to close them or reinstall them after swimming. Audible alarms warn of a child falling into water (immersion alarms) or a child approaching the pool (perimeter alarms), but do not prevent drowning in any way. In addition, a pole, a buoy and ideally a telephone must be placed near the pool to limit the risk of drowning.

→ After swimming:

Remember to take out all floating objects such as buoys, fries or inflatable objects and put the safety device back on. If possible, remove the pool ladder to block access. The emergency number: 112.