Bridlington RNLI gives out water safety advice to prevent drownings

It's the Royal Life Saving Society's Drowning Prevention Week

Author: Karen LiuPublished 22nd Jun 2022

People visiting the Yorkshire Coast are being urged to take care when out in the water.

It is as the RNLI in Bridlington is giving out advice as more tourists come to the seaside due to the hot weather.

It is also the Royal Life Saving Society's Drowning Prevention Week.

Steve Craven is from Bridlington RNLI and he said: "In Bridlington and across the UK, majority of us are RNLI covered so you can see that with the red and yellow flags on the beaches and lifeguards who are wearing red and yellow uniforms.

"If there is a bit of an offshore breeze you can tell if there is one if you stick your back towards land and if you feel a breeze coming from your back out to sea then you know it's an offshore wind. In the case, it's strongly advised that you don't take any inflatables out. Any advice or anything like that, speak to the lifeguards on duty. They'll be more than happy to speak to you and give you more safety advice."

Bob Taylor is also from Bridlington RNLI and he added: "The water is never hot. They are very cold around the coast with an average temperature between 12 and 15 degrees. Anything below 15 degrees is going to give you a cold water shock, which is a sharp intake of breath when you hit the water, like hitting a cold shower, which makes people panic and then when you start flailing, there's more water and then that's when you get into trouble.

"90 percent of people who find themselves in difficulty never intended to get wet that day. If you do find yourself slipping into water, try and relax, put yourself in a starfish shape and 'float to live' as we call it and try to control your breathing. Once you've got back into control, you can then relax, right yourself and then start calling for help."

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