Safer - Beach or Boat?

[TurninTurtle]

The majority of local lake drowning victims are located in 4 to 7 ft deep water and less than 30 ft from the shore.

Not sure how significant that is... because some don't float for 28 days.

[ausaviator]

You should watch the movie "Open Water Adrift 2."

They all jump off their sailboat for a swim but can't get back up again as they didn't lower the boarding ladder. It's getting old but it's one hell of a movie.

[JPA Cate]

tuffr2,

Both are safer, depends on what predators are around at the time. Most of us learn to swim either off the beach or in pools. The beach offers lessons in when not to go in, rip tides, etc. We often swim off the boat and off the dinghy, sometimes taking it a long way from the boat.

In Australia, some beaches have "shark nets" off the beaches. Some of them are baited. In Oz, people tend to swim off the beach, but parallel to it. Not like in So Cal, where we used to go out beyond the break and hang out, with never a thought about who might be hungry nearby, albeit, it was midday swimming.

One time, in the late afternoon (first mistake, it was getting on towards shark feeding time), I dove in the water somewhere in the Marquesas. Sorry, memory fails, I think it was a little east of Taiohae at Nuku Hiva. In any event, near dusk, Ann dives in to cool off, and comes face to face with a small black tip reef shark. To herself, Ann says something that might be translated as "golly!" and in the dinghy I go! I tell this story that that poor little black tip went back to Mom and said," I just saw this horrible big pink thing!" However, I learned to swim midday, when they're less interested.

Then you learn a little about shark habits, and we often swim when they're around, if they're calm, disinterested in us. We've done drift dives in passes hanging onto the dinghy, but if there are too many or they are interested, we get out of the water, full stop.

Crocs are a whole 'nother story, in that they like to observe prey, and can stay submerged an hour and a half. So they demand a different type of vigilance, or attention, or staying out of the water.

Ann

[tuffr2]

Ann - how far do salt water crocs venture from shore? I guess in OZ it would be safer to swim from the boat if the boat was out further than the crocs typically go. One less bad thing that could happen as opposed to swimming from shore.





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[lama1980]

As for me, accidents rarely happen on the boat.

[tuffr2]

Fyi...my brother now has a new twist. Says the beach is safer if a life guard is on duty. He is semi retracting his concession. I am now agreeing with him, the beach is safer if a life guard is on duty.



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[tuffr2]

Fyi...Google search finds these facts.

World wide 1.2 million people drown per year.

In the US 3,500 drown per year on average over the last 20 years.

In the US 320 drown in boating accidents on average per year over the last 20 years.



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[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by tuffr2

Ann - how far do salt water crocs venture from shore? I guess in OZ it would be safer to swim from the boat if the boat was out further than the crocs typically go. One less bad thing that could happen as opposed to swimming from shore.





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From what we've been told, they are rarely more than 20 mi. offshore. However, their population is expanding since they are protected, and so they're moving to the offshore islands. It's a bit of a caution! The problem, of course is exceptional individuals. No idea at all how to factor that in. We feel pretty safe for swimming at many offshore islands, especially sand keys, because there's less place for them to hide. Of course, where there are series of reefs, each within a 20 mile swim......

Ann

[Rock-Head]

Originally Posted by tuffr2

How could a good swimmer like that drown?

Bump head, fall in water, drown.

Crap happens.


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[TurninTurtle]

Originally Posted by tuffr2

Fyi...Google search finds these facts.

World wide 1.2 million people drown per year.

In the US 3,500 drown per year on average over the last 20 years.

In the US 320 drown in boating accidents on average per year over the last 20 years.



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What percent of the people in the US own boats? (that number will be low)
What percent of those boats haven't been in the water in over 20 years? (that number will be high)

You can't really compare total drownings vs boat related without knowing how many were in the water due to boating vs how many in the water not involving a boat.

[tuffr2]

Ann - you are right. I checked on salt water crocs. They seem to like to use the ocean current to travel long distances. But because they rely on land they seldom venture to far.

With only 3,500 drowning on average per year in the US with all the water (oceans on both coasts and all the lakes) swimming is relatively safe...

Same for swimming from a boat.

I will use my experience where I had my 3 closest calls from land to water and zero close calls from boat to water.
And no close calls after age 18.

Humm...I wonder if I got smarter???

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[TurninTurtle]

You got smarter if you learned one thing:

Don't swim alone.

*********************

Not boat related...

I'm a member of an RC model club. We fly from a site about 500 yds from a boat ramp, with the water supposedly on the side of the runway we are supposed to avoid.

A guy was out flying alone and apparently his plane went down in the water and he went swimming for it. (supposed to be a decent swimmer)
He was reported missing on Wednesday.
His car was found in the flying site parking lot... radio was found frozen to one of the work tables (Ice storm on Thursday) on the Saturday after he went missing.
He floated appx 28 days later.

About 10 guys are in the club who would have brought out a boat if he'd just made the call...

DO NOT SWIM ALONE

[tuffr2]

Finding his airplane RC controls frozen implies it was cold and the water where the plane went down was cold.

I used to water ski alot. 3 - 4 times/week plus all vacation time from work. Ski'ed the ski courses. Faster boat speed shorter rope lengths. I sucked at it but hung with a group that stayed skiing with dry suits at the end of March at the 40th parallel north latitude. Water temp 45 degrees with a dry suit. Still would get cold and shiver. Once you start to shiver your body does not move the way you want.

No doubt he did not last long in cold water....good swimmer or not. I came out of the water one time and had trouble talking because of the hypothermia. Lucky air temp was warm and I was ready for my next set on time.



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