Beach Safety

[TerryW]

I have been prompted to post this because of what happened the other day, with the drowning of the four parents in the sea off the Western Algarve. I think we can all be much too brave in the sea at times and it can be deadly place to be when things go wrong.

I know there is lifeguard station on Arillas beach and, being a newcomer, I have no idea how often it is manned. I think I saw someone sitting on the lookout, twice during the two weeks I was there. The sea at Arillas is very shallow and is a safe as you can probably get for children, but the shallowness also means that you have to go out a long way to have a decent swim, and this could be dangerous if there are any underlying currents.

The jetty has had my wife and I worried when we have seen children diving from it close to the rocks. I am sure that the local children are used to diving in from there and generations ( including Dimitris, Marino etc) have done it for years. What bothered me was seeing youngsters who were on holiday diving in and some who were less confident being egged on. Has there ever been any incidents?

I would also like to pass on two things that happened last year in Kefalonia. The beach we go on near Skala is very quiet due to it mainly being used by naturists. I have swam there for quite a few years.

One day last year I was having a swim and gone quite a long way out. Without any warning  the sea started to get quite rough and as I was getting tired I decided to swim back to shore. For some reason the currents had changed and no matter how hard I swam ( I am not the strongest of swimmers) I could not get closer to the shore. I was out of my depth and was knackered, and the only person on the beach was Helen who was too far away to hear me shout. I can honestly say that I was panic stricken and just tried to swim harder and my head kept going under. I really thought that my time was up.

Something  told me to tread water and to relax and I suddenly realised that if I swam along the beach instead of to the shore I would reach a sand bank that would allow me to get my feet on the bottom. I cannot really describe the feeling of how I felt trying to reach the sandbank but I never ever want to feel it again. I did manage to get my feet on the bottom and staggered to the shore and when I got back I thought I was going to have a heart attack due to the speed my heart was beating.

I will never swim on my own again and go a long way off shore.

The next day we were on the same part of the beach and a small motor boat with a man and two boys on board stopped about 30 metres from the shore. They started to swim and must have decided to swim ashore. We suddenly heard shouts of help from the two lads and I realised that they were in the same situation as I had been in the day before. I had to grab my trunks and go into the water. Then, it was decision time as to what I did. I am not a good swimmer, and after the day before, I did not want to risk drowning again. I waded in as far as I could and shouted to them to swim to the left where the sandbank was, and it was then I realised that it was the dad who was in difficulty and the two lads ( ages about 8 and 10) were helping him.

They did reach the beach and the chap was violently sick and just layed still for about 30 minutes. He didn't want me to contact anyone because I would imagine his wife would have gone mad.

I am sorry to have gone on so much but I learned a lot on those two days, and they were things that I should have been programmed into my brain forty years ago.

Never take the sea for granted and never put yourself and especially your children in danger.Always think of safety because these terrible tragedies can happen to anyone.

[patrickjohn]

Hi
Think Terry's story shows how much respect we must have for the forces of nature.  I was brought up at Cleethorpes, which has a wonderful beach.  I remember however that many years ago several young people on horseback became lost in fog on the beach and they drowned in the incoming tide.
A few years ago in Corfu, on St. George's beach (just down the coast from Arilas) my wife and I were paddling in the waves which were a bit stronger than usual, only yards from the shore and not over our knees when we were knocked over by a wave.  Fortunately we managed to get up and wade ashore.
I worked at Skegness for a while where there have been many tragedies in the sea, often with inflatables drifing out on offshore breezes.
The sea will always take its toll and caution is always advisable, but the words caution and young rarely go together.
I think we all sypathise with the families who've lost loved ones in Portugal.
PJ

[Mango]

Hi Patrickjohn
On a lighter note, are you sure the tide comes in at Cleethorpes, whenever I visit you can not see the sea! ah ah
Mango

[kevin.g]

excelent point terryw maybe this is one for dimitri to get the local council to put a sign up of the dangers at the beginning of the jetty seeing its a great family resort

[alyvin]

When I was in Portugal about 8 years ago we drove down the Algarve to the most westernly point and then onto a huge beach. 2 bodies were being recovered from the sea then as well.

[Jo Wissett]

Although my husband is a strong swimmer, he always warns me that the sea is largely an unchartered territory and as such we should always respect that. There is something very eerie when you are a long way from shore and you gaze into the water.  He has told me about Lakes that are 'bottomless' but not sure if this is true!

[justphil]

Just caught up with this, Terry. You're right - the feeling never goes away.

Soon after Jen and I married (1972) we went for our first ever naturist sunbathe in Rottingdean, near Brighton. The day we chose to go, the tide was going to be much higher than usual but we didn't have a clue. We found ourselves pinned to a cliff with heavy waves crashing round us, and had to get to, and then get up an old iron ladder set in the wall - about a 6 foot climb. We got washed off the ladder into the sea twice, and like you thought "this is it." Had it not been for the guy who helped us out, we definitely wouldn't be forum members now, nor would our two boys have ever happened! We lost everything (clothes included) but didn't feel any embarassment at our predicament. Other beach users helped us cover up and get back to the car - we kept two towels to "wear"home but were just glad to have survived.

We have never been out of our depth in a pool or the sea since - 35 years later. When I "swim" in the sea at Arillas I never go very far out, and Jen holds the side in the pool if she reaches neck deep.

Thanks for your post - until it happens people don't realise how near you can get to disaster.

phil and jenny

[blondegirl]

I cant swim, unless you call the feeble attempts I have made in Arillas swimming, but I got quite excited when I got off the "ground".  I prefer the sea funnily enough, perhaps because its a bit easier to float and I only like it when it is fairly calm, the swimming pools are great too cool off in but I find they go deep very quickly.

Mike always keeps a very close eye on me because of a holiday we had in Agios Gordios. We were warned that the sea there could be quite rough, the current is quite strong.  We went in September so I don't know if that affected the sea but on one occasion Mike was very worried.  We had trouble getting back to the beach as we were being dragged back a lot more and the waves were very high.  It came up all of a sudden. I had heard of these "special winds" in Crete but was surprised in Corfu, but they are probably a common Greek thing.  So even though I do prefer the sea I never go out of my depth, my feet must touch the bottom.  Lets hope this year I can manage to "float properly" and get my bottom off the bottom of the sea bed (I float sitting up)  LOL>

[ger]

although the sea seems to be shallow forever at the far end of the beach, i am still wary as i am not a confident swimmer, i usually paddle about or lie on a small inflatable, but panic if i go a bit deeper and cant feel the sand under my feet!
i do like to use the pool and do a couple of lengths, but always make sure i am close enough to grap the edge if i need to, but the funny thing is i go on a cruise and don't think about how deep the sea is under the boat i'm on!! (course the alchohol helps then!!!)
ger

[James W]

My wife and I found the beach at Arillas safe for us last September.

I don't regard myself as  'swimmer', therefore I'm careful where I go.

After her knee joint replacement 18 months ago, my wife is also cautious.

Complacency leads to problems.

Circumspection is my forté.

[holliepos]

James,

I've just read your post and had to re-read it twice before I realised that your last sentence said "Circumspection" - not what I thought it said!! lol

Angie

[sharonF]

Terry, i've just caught up with this thread and seen your post.  How terrifying that must have been.  It made me feel sick reading it, but a very good warning to everybody.  I am always wary of swimming too far out since I saw Thorn Birds years ago with richard chamberlain and her brother died in the currents in Greece! 

Thank god you made it back to shore safely, Sharon xx