Those who are on the beach with children and also want to go into the water with them are best looking for guarded beaches with lifeguard training near me.
In an emergency, qualified rescuers are quickly on the spot. However, this does not mean that parents can rely on lifeguards or beach attendants, because ultimately they are responsible for their children. Beaches with lifeguard shave the advantage that you can get missing information from the staff if necessary, the beaches are mostly well-kept and the weather and water conditions can be seen on the beach flags. However, it should be noted that the meaning of the flags and signals may vary from country to country. For European countries, the rule is that a red and yellow flag indicates the guarded area and a green one allows bathing. If the flag is yellow, caution is advised, and if an orange windsock is blowing on the flagpole, the DLRG advises not to use inflatable mattresses or swimming animals because of the wind. If the flag is red, swimming is completely forbidden. Blue signals the incoming tide, and the black and white flag indicates zones for water sports equipment where bathing is prohibited.
Before bathing or swimming
If you’ve been sizzling in the sun for hours , you should cool off before you go swimming, otherwise, in the worst case scenario, there is a risk of cardiac arrest. The decisive factor here is the difference between air and water temperature. The greater this difference, the greater the danger, because in the worst case, the body reacts with a shock that can be fatal if the temperature difference is very large. Also please always remember: Never go into the water with a full or completely empty stomach.
Unguarded beaches
Those who prefer to swim in the sea from emptier and unguarded beaches or from a boat should find out about local conditions beforehand. The DLRG also advises against swimming alone in unfamiliar waters. Many public beaches, especially in the Mediterranean, are unguarded. If you want to be on the safe side here, choose areas that still offer mobile phone coverage. You should also find out beforehand about current and undercurrent conditions, tides, water depth, shoals, sandbanks and water pollution.
Surf and Current
When the waves rolling in from the open sea reach shallow water and are slowed down by the sand on the shore, they break and the surf develops. It causes a suction, also known as an undercurrent, which opposes the direction of the surf and can cause your legs to be pulled away even in very shallow water. With strong surf and strong currents possibly still prevailing at the same time, caution is advised. Children in particular should be kept close to you and closely supervised or even completely avoided bathing.
Currents are never even on the coast. Nobody knows how and in what strength the next current will appear. However, this can have dangerous effects. It is therefore advisable to find out about water depths and currents before bathing or swimming. Basically, even if the route is longer, you should always swim with the current.
Take special care with stone walls and other structures
You should pay particular attention to the suction effect of pillars on stone walls and sea structures, such as piers, and to the so-called ripple current. This occurs when the surf cannot flow back into the sea unhindered at obstacles such as sandbanks or rocks. The rip current is extremely dangerous and is responsible for almost 80 percent of swimming accidents in the sea.
Safety when bathing and swimming
The calmest of seas can turn into a raging sea due to sudden winds and currents. This is another reason why children should always be supervised when bathing. The seahorse doesn’t make them swimmers yet. According to the DLRG, children are only considered swimmers with the bronze Frei Schwimmer badge.
Toys that float on water are very popular with children. However, it can become a danger, especially for unsafe swimmers, because the swimming ring, air mattress and the like are washed away very quickly. Also, these toys should never be used as swimming aids.