#WaterSafety - The Guardian reports on a remarkable evening for lifeguards on Cornwall's Polzeath beach yesterday (Tuesday 12 August) when 32 people had to be rescued from am "incredibly strong" rip current.

The seven bathers and 25 bodyboarders had reportedly fallen from a sand bank "straight into the path of the rip current" at the northern end of the beach, according to senior lifeguard Ben Miskowicz.

It took just over an hour for the six-member RNLI lifeguard team to get all 32 men, women and children to safety, rating the conditions on the beach at high tide as "too dangerous".

The Guardian has more on the story HERE.

#Jellyfish - West Cork on Thursday (7 August) saw a young girl treated for a severe allergic reaction to a jellyfish sting, as previously reported on Afloat.ie.

The Irish Examiner has more on the story of the girl aged between 10 and 12 who's believed to have come in contact with a Portuguese man o'war or similar stinging sea creature at Goleen beach.

Within minutes of the incident the girl was vomiting, spasming and suffering severe difficulty with breathing in what Goleen Coast Guard officer-in-charge Michael O'Regan called a "vicious reaction".

"After 50 years, I thought I'd seen everything," he told the Examiner. "I've done about 30 first aid courses over the years but have never come across anything to prepare us for something like this."

Sightings of dangerous jellyfish in Ireland's warming coastal waters since the beginning of last week have prompted warnings from water safety officials.

These warnings have been reiterated since the predicted arrival of the giant lion's mane jellyfish, which has been spotted off Sutton in North Dublin.

#watersafety – The CEO of Irish Water Safety, John leech is urging the public to use the Local Authority manned lifeguarded bathing places to ensure there are no more swimming tragedies this summer.

Please take heed of advice given by the lifeguards and supervise your children, as lifeguards are not baby sitters.

Lifeguards rescued 413 casualties from our beaches, rivers and lakes during the month of July, that is 146 less than for last July during that memorable heat wave.

There were 353 lost children reunited with their parents.

There were another 8,442 accidents prevented by the proactive actions of our lifeguards.

The CEO is also warning the public that due to the high temperatures in our waters, the prevailing westerly winds and Atlantic current, potentially dangerous jellyfish are appearing on our beaches.

Portuguese man o 'war jelly fish have been reported on Bunmahon and Clonea strand in Waterford, whilst barrel jellyfish have been reported on beaches in Cork.

#WaterSafety - The mother of a boy who tragically died from cold water shock while swimming in open water has called on the public to be mindful that warm weather does not equal warm water.

Dylan Ramsay, 13, drowned while swimming with friends at a quarry in Lancashire three summers ago.

Though the sporty youth was regarded as a capable swimmer, Dylan was overcome by the coldness of the water in the quarry lake.

In the video above, his mother Becky expresses her profound shock and sadness at the lost of her son who may still be alive today if the public were as aware of the dangers of swimming unsupervised in open water as they are of the 'green cross code'.

The RNLI has cited cold water shock as one of the main contributing factors in accidents around Britain's coasts in 2013, which saw the highest number of water-related deaths in four years, according to ITV News.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, Ireland fared better statistically in 2013, recording the lowest number of drownings since 1936 - though 91 people still died in the water.

And Irish Water Safety called on the public to remain vigilant, especially with news of the death of 13-year-old boy who had been swimming with friends at a water treatment plant in Drogheda earlier today (24 July).

#safetyonthewater – Irish Water Safety (IWS) has appealed to the public to stay vigilant around water and not to become another drowning statistic. This appeal comes in the wake of IWS drowning statistics for 2013 which recorded 91 drownings, the lowest for 78 years.

Following a particularly hot two weeks in July 2013 during which thirteen tragically drowned, IWS noted a marked decrease in the number of tragedies during the rest of the summer period as the public adjusted their behaviours and attitudes to staying safe. This resulted in an overall total drowning figure of 91 for 2013, the lowest since 1936 when 73 people drowned.

Males were particularly at risk, accounting for 75% of drownings in 2013. Half of all those who drowned were adults aged 30-59. An extract from Irish Water Safety's 2013 Annual Report notes that the highest figure recorded in any one year to date is 235 in 1983. There was an average of 135 drownings each year in the decade to 2013.

Extracts from Irish Water Safety's analysis reveals that*:
60% were accidents, 20% suicides and 20% undetermined (55,19,17)
53% of drownings were aged 30-59 (48); 16% of drownings were aged under 29 (16)
75% of all drownings were male (69)
60% of total male & female drownings were accidental (42 of 69 & 13 of 22)
14% of female drownings were suicide (3); 23% of male drownings were suicide (16)
In the 1970's, we averaged 91 accidental drownings each year. We ended the 00's averaging 55. In the decade to 2013, the figure dropped to 51.
In the 1980's we averaged 207 total drownings each year. We ended the 00's averaging 150. In the decade to 2013, the figure dropped to 135.
Complacency is not an option for anybody as the statistics frighteningly reveal. Although 75% of total accidental drownings were male, the adage 'boys will be boys' is muted by the fact that the vast majority of drownings were not boys at all but grown men - 53% aged 30-59, compared to 16% aged under 29."

It only takes seconds for tragedy to strike and this can so easily be avoided if people take responsibility for their own safety by taking note of the following in advance of any trip:
Swim at Lifeguarded waterways - http://www.iws.ie/bathing-areas-page.html
If there is no Lifeguarded waterway nearby then swim at a recognized, traditional bathing area
Swim within your depth - stay within your depth;
Use local knowledge to determine local hazards and safest areas to swim;
Ensure that ringbuoys are present;
Make sure that the edges are shallow shelving so that you can safely and easily enter and exit;
Only drink alcohol after your aquatic activity has ended. Stay Away From The Edge after you consume alcohol.
Never use inflatable toys at beaches, rivers or lakes.

#Diving - Irish Water Safety chief John Leech has called on divers to ensure they are well trained and 'diving fit' before going underwater following the deaths of five divers in separate incidents around the Irish coast.

The latest casualty, who died after an accident off St John's Point near Killybegs in Co Donegal on Saturday (12 July) has been named as 57-year-old Presbyterian minister Rev Dr Stewart Jones from Strabane, Co Tyrone.

Speaking this morning on RTÉ Radio 1's Morning Ireland, Leech said: "Diving by its nature is not risk free - it's all a case of managing risk."

He added that "the more training you do, the less chance you have of dying."

Listen to John Leech on Morning Ireland via the RTÉ Player HERE.

#WaterSafety - There were a total of 381 drownings and water-related deaths from accidents or natural causes across the United Kingdom in 2013, according to a report published this week by Britain's National Water Safety Forum (NWSF).

As in previous years, more than half of that number (227) were in inland waters, such as tidal and freshwater rivers, lakes and reservoirs, while fatalities at the sea, on the beach or shoreline accounted for nearly a third (115).

A further 22 deaths happened at harbours, docks, marinas and inland or coastal ports. Eight deaths occurred in the bath and six in swimming pools, while three happened in areas that are not normally watercourses such as marsh and flooded land.

The figures include deaths in water that resulted from natural causes such as a heart attack, drowning or other fatal injuries resulting from falls into water and those that occurred during the course of water-based activities.

The NWSF’s Water Incident Database (WAID) breaks down drownings and other water-related deaths by activity, age and location type. It reveals that in 2013 the five-year age group with the highest number of fatalities (31) was males aged between 20-24.

Meanwhile, 0-19s accounted for 12 per cent of deaths (46), of which more than half were teenagers aged 15 to 19 (27). In the youngest age bracket of four and under, 10 children drowned.

The peak summer months of July and August witnessed the most deaths, with 106 during this period.

The leading activities were people walking alongside water and falling in, swimming (predominantly in open water) and jumping into open water.

There were 260 deaths in England, 56 in Scotland, 41 in Wales and 11 in Northern Ireland. In England, the South West (53) and the South East (50) regions had the highest number of deaths.

NWSF deputy chair Jim Watson said: “Although the number of accidental drownings and water-related deaths has remained consistent in recent years, there should be no room for complacency, particularly as we enter the warmer summer months and more people are drawn to the water.

“We encourage people to enjoy the UK’s waters, but to make sure they understand the risks and come home safely.”

A full copy of the UK Water-Related Fatalities 2013 report can be downloaded as an Excel spreadsheet HERE.

The WAID was developed by NWSF members, including national partners the Canal and River Trust, the British Sub Aqua Club, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, the RNLI, RoSPA and the Royal Life Saving Society; sports governing bodies; and regional and local organisations, including Cornwall Council. It was developed in partnership with the UK government's Department for Transport.

#WaterSafety - Pop twins Jedward have urged their fans to stay safe near the water after they got themselves into a spot of bother trapped by the tide on a sandbank in North Co Dublin last night.

As the Irish Times reports, the brothers - John and Edward Grimes - had gone for a walk on Donabate beach, north of Malahide, with a cousin last night (2 July) when they were stranded by the incoming tide and became disoriented in the fading light.

The twins' mother, who spoke to them by mobile phone, raised the alarm with the Irish Coast Guard, who launched the Skerries coastguard team and the Dublin rescue helicopter to the scene.

The Irish Times has more on the story HERE.

#WaterSafety - The Irish Coast Guard has reiterated its warning to the public not to go to sea in unsuitable craft after two children were recovered from a small dinghy off North Co Dublin on Monday evening.

As TheJournal.ie reports, a routine coastguard patrol off Howth happened upon the two boys who had set out to sea in the tiny inflatable with armbands instead of lifejackets.

The boys were taken aboard the coastguard vessel "for their own safety" and taken back to dry land at Howth Harbour.

Coastguard officials highlighted this incident as a perfect example of the kind of dangerous behaviour the public should avoid on the water.

Coastal rescue teams may get some reprieve from the hot weather over the new few days, however, with Independent.ie reporting a drop in temperatures, cloudy skies and spells of rain from tomorrow.

#WaterSafety - After yesterday's warning against taking risks on or near the water during the current hot spell comes news that three teenagers have been hospitalised after an accident at a lake near an apartment complex in Blanchardstown yesterday evening (20 June).

TheJournal.ie reports that a boy and two girls, all aged around 13, were rushed to Temple Street Children's Hospital after the swimming accident. As of last night the boy was said to be in critical condition.

Update 11am: RTÉ News is now reporting that the 13-year-old boy has died in hospital.

Elsewhere in Dublin, another swimming incident on Thursday 19 June saw two men rescued from a cliffside at Balscadden Bay in Howth after getting into difficulty, according to Independent.ie.

The duo struggled to swim against the strong current and eventually made it to rocks at the cliff base, but one of the men was too exhausted to continue.

They were only rescued after attracting the attention of passers-by, tourists who alerted staff at a nearby café.