The RNLI is reminding everyone planning on heading to the coast this summer to stay safe.
It's as today marks World Drowning Prevention Day.
Since the RNLI was founded 200 years ago by Manx resident Sir William Hillary, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 142,700 lives.
In this edition of Newscast, Claire Hamer, a Water Safety Officer based at Peel lifeboat station, explains to Lewis Foster what you should do if you get into trouble in the water.
Good morning it's Claire Hamer and I am a water safety advisor for the R&L I based in Peel in the Isle of Man. As a water safety officer our role really is to be involved with the public to educate them on how to be involved with the water safely because we obviously understand that of course you're going to jump in the water of course you're gonna go swimming and paddleboarding. We live on an amazing island and it would be a shame not to do that but we'd love you to do that safely so we're here to give you advice. And you were saying you quite like to go for a C swim yourself. Oh I do I love it it's it's an amazing pastime you know and the last few years particularly since Covid that's really ramped up on the island there's so many people doing it now. But world drowning prevention day obviously there's a serious message today - float to live and I'm a person when I go swimming I often say I don't float but tell me the proper technique what should we be doing if we get into trouble. So if you are in trouble you tip your head back spread your arms and your legs push you tummy up to the top of the surface make sure your ears are submerged it's fine if your legs drop because everybody does that differently but just try and stay calm while you do it but the most important thing before that is to call for help you know before you do that and if you're out in the water or on the water make sure you've got a mobile phone and a waterproof phone pouch make sure it's on your body in your flotation device or round your neck don't attach it to your paddleboard or anything that you're using make sure it's on you and that you can call for help and also try not to go on your own try and take a friend with you tell people where you're going so that you know how long you're going to be away if you're not back you know and then if you do unfortunately get into trouble call for help and float to live. World Drowning Prevention Day why is it important to have a day dedicated to this? Worldwide every two minutes somebody drowns and actually last year there was 235,000 people that drowned many of these drownings have been preventable and that deserves attention you know Sir William Hilary his thought on the RNA Li was that we would prevent everybody from drowning we would save everybody whoever you are whatever you've done we don't care we don't judge we'll always come out and help you and give you advice. The RNA Li work with the UN and they've actually passed a resolution on global drowning which is amazing really with 193 member states have agreed to that and it sets out the actions across the United Nations of what we require each country to do and establish the 25th of July every year as World Drowning Prevention Day. Talking about trends over the last few years I don't know if it's just me who's noticed there seems to be a lot more people taking paddleboards out and is that a concern for the RNA Li? Have you seen paddleboards safety being something you've had to push a bit harder over the last few years? I would agree yes we we've certainly seen more people doing it we've had more rescues for people you know who needed us so we do push the safety advice for that you know and on the island man we're quite lucky we have a lot of businesses you know in in the towns where they sell the paddleboards and they can give you advice as well so I would always recommend talking to them before buying them don't just buy them online go and talk to these people they've got years and years of experience and they know what you need to do and of course while we're having all this discussion and World Drowning Prevention Day it is the 200th anniversary of the RNA Li we've seen some celebration some commemorations take place earlier this year but still on the agenda still some celebrations to come is there? Oh absolutely there's many things still coming throughout the year you know it's 200 years is amazing really so William Hillary lived in Douglas and it was his idea to set it all up and he wanted to save everybody whatever you did you know whoever you are anybody he wanted everybody to be saved and you know that's what we do on a day like World Drowning Prevention Day it's a good opportunity to remember the thousands that statistic the thousands that have been saved by the RNA Li since its inception absolutely you know the literally are thousands of people that we've saved you know and we believe that just one drowning is one too many so we want to save you all and we can only do that really with the public's help you know we are donation based we don't we don't get government funding for our general life-saving you know so we can't do it without the public and if it also volunteering you know if you if you haven't got money if you've got time come and join us you know if there's so many different roles that you can do within the RNA Li on the island you know it doesn't involve spending every night of the week at the boathouse you could you know whatever you can fit in with your time just come and talk to us come and find out what we're about Thank you for making it to the end of the Manks Radio newscast you are obviously someone with exquisite taste may I politely suggest you might want to subscribe to this and a wide range of manks radio podcasts at your favorite podcast provider so our best bits will magically appear on your smartphone thank you you you [BLANK_AUDIO]
