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October, 2024

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Water Safety

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Lonely
Posts: 6741 - Karma: 61,663
Since it's the summer months I want to talk about water safety. In my home town on Lake Michigan there have been three drownings in 10 days. It's terrible and I wish the families of these individuals well. If you live on the great lakes or anywhere with large bodies of water for that matter you need to be aware of riptides. I work on the waters of Lake Superior and have to deal with these issues often.

Please remember:

The Lake or Ocean is much stronger than you

Waves don't have to be big for riptides to form

River outlets are especially dangerous. Even ankle deep water will drag you out and prevent you from standing up.

Swim parallel to the beach to escape a riptide or under tow. Then swim in. Don't fight it. The average adult can only tread water for 15-20 minutes. Most of the time that's much shorter than the time it takes for a boat or chopper to reach you.

Undertow and riptides can drag you 500-1000 ft off shore. That's 3-6 Olympic size swimming pools.

If you are not a strong swimmer - STAY OUT OF THE WATER
Jul 26 2019 8:08PM
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JoeF2661
Posts: 1627 - Karma: 6,299
Growing up my brothers and I along with my sister who is the best swimmer of all of us swam on the local team. I kept swimming until probably my sophomore year when girls and smoking pot was more enticing. I can't think of how many times when I've been swimming either in the river, ocean, anywhere and where if I wasn't a strong swimmer I could have lost my life. All that time and I thought someone was stupid but I'm sure glad I did it now.
Jul 26 2019 8:19PM
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xxACIDTRIPxx
Posts: 5980 - Karma: 8,175
Big ups
Jul 26 2019 8:27PM
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DirtYStylE
Posts: 3652 - Karma: 8,888
A true hydro homie
Jul 26 2019 9:59PM
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oldmanski
Posts: 3306 - Karma: 23,750
Good advice!
Jul 26 2019 10:54PM
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elcheapo
Posts: 3449 - Karma: 13,975
Was on swim team when I was a kid and would consistently hit my nose on the bottom of the pool and the coach would make me swim extra laps after practice.
Was in Hawaii trying to boogie board and cought a wave too close too shore. It broke and drove my face in the sand and my back got bent the wrong way really bad. I could hardly keep my balance for several minutes. Some Hawaiian natives saw this and were laughing uncontrollably. Humiliation at it worst. My life has been plagued with such luck btw.
Jul 26 2019 11:22PM
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GayWolf420
Posts: 37379 - Karma: 119,926
Good thread. Grew up on a lake in MI around boats and all that, and had a pretty terrible incident happen when we were younger. Basically a little 4 year old girl who lived two houses down from us wandered down to the shoreline, fell in the water, drowned, and my parents unfortunately discovered her body floating next to our dock. Terrible situation nonetheless.


People drown in Utah all the time sadly. Two brothers that went out fishing last week fell overboard (sounds like they werent wearing life vests) and drowned. A fisherman found their boat still running and they havent been recovered. Shit can go wrong very quickly out there. Life jackets can go a long way and basic survival skills if you get stranded somewhere.


The great lakes can get fucking WILD out there. Its a shipwreck graveyard in some areas, Like Superior gets hectic and would always be terrified of that thing when we would be up in Yooper land.
Jul 27 2019 12:24AM
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_kevin_
Posts: 121 - Karma: 412
I thought this thread would just be common sense but I actually had no idea that lakes could even have riptides. Good info tbh
Jul 27 2019 12:41AM
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TRVP_ANGEL
Posts: 12506 - Karma: 116,112
man why dont they just drink the water away like in beerfest
Jul 27 2019 2:38AM
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WoFIowz
Posts: 9788 - Karma: 72,405
Yeah unfortunately this shit happens all the time. You can almost guarantee someone in your county is gonna drown on memorial day when all the pools open and when everyone is on the lakes.

Don't be stupid. Don't drink and boat (lol that never happens). Always have life vests. If you can't swim either have a vest or stay out of the water. Know what to do if caught in a rip current. Fence your pools. Always watch children when in or around water, no matter the depth.

And if you ever come along someone who has drown, check for a pulse and if can't find in 10sec, start cpr (not like it will probably matter but who knows, they might be lucky or at least be useful as an organ donor if all else fails)
Jul 27 2019 3:29AM
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elcheapo
Posts: 3449 - Karma: 13,975
And dont swim too.long in cold water.
Always wanted to sno ski and water ski in the same day so I did. Lake Washington was so frkn cold in march I couldn't get back in the boat. Friends had to pull me up over and back in. It was brutal.
Jul 27 2019 4:10AM
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.frenchy
Posts: 18221 - Karma: 12,321
solid thread! big water guy myself
Jul 27 2019 12:18PM
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Lonely
Posts: 6741 - Karma: 61,663
DeebieSkeebiesThe great lakes can get fucking WILD out there. Its a shipwreck graveyard in some areas, Like Superior gets hectic and would always be terrified of that thing when we would be up in Yooper land.


Superior is gnarly. Just huge ugly brown wedges whenever it get's windy. I've got a lot of respect for the surfers up here who send it in 38 degree water.
Pic of my buddy on a "calm" day. Superior is a beast. A lot of people come up from the lower great lakes and think Superior is the same thing- It's not. Very wild and untamed
Jul 27 2019 1:44PM
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Lonely
Posts: 6741 - Karma: 61,663
_kevin_I thought this thread would just be common sense but I actually had no idea that lakes could even have riptides. Good info tbh


Lake Michigan gets some really bad riptide, comparable to the ocean on some days. Long shallow beaches, numerous river outlets and consistent winds is a recipe for disaster.
Jul 27 2019 1:50PM
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BedBugDoug
Posts: 590 - Karma: 2,253
Don't you ever tell me how to live my life
Jul 27 2019 2:00PM
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OregonDead
Posts: 6890 - Karma: 24,544
Also life jackets are not nerdy. A lot of times it makes the difference between just getting wet or dying.
Jul 27 2019 8:21PM
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theabortionator
Posts: 51626 - Karma: 162,067
DeebieSkeebiesPeople drown in Utah all the time sadly. Two brothers that went out fishing last week fell overboard (sounds like they werent wearing life vests) and drowned. A fisherman found their boat still running and they havent been recovered. Shit can go wrong very quickly out there. Life jackets can go a long way and basic survival skills if you get stranded somewhere.

Shitty. Decent chance one jumped in to save the other and got taken down in panic. Well who knows, but happens way too much. Drowning people are fucking scary.
Jul 27 2019 8:45PM
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Twinjibber77
Posts: 6239 - Karma: 2,354
With all the crazy rain on the east coast this year, I'm hoping that at least ONE news story will highlight that driving through moving water is super dangerous AF... yet they never bring it up. I've seen two stories in my local area in that last two months where people try to drive through moving water and die. I wish I could remember what the exact stat was, but I recall reading a chart somewhere that shows how much force inches and feet of flowing water have as well as an explanation of how you only have four tires contacting the ground with a pretty limited amount of surface area.

It's a damn shame.

Here's a solid example: http://www.hillcountrynews.com/stories/driver-arrested-student-rescued-after-lisd-bus-swept-away-by-flooded-brushy-creek,78566
Jul 28 2019 2:15AM
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PsychicMigration
Posts: 2099 - Karma: 10,540
People are so dumb with this they have no respect for the ocean. I cant speak for the lake but I lifeguard at a beach and its not usually the ocean responsible for putting people at risk its their abnormally low brain function. Also the amount of people that can already barely swim and try to swim back through a rip blows my mind they get tired and start drowning then I gotta save them. SWIM SIDEWAYS out of it then in.
Jul 30 2019 10:36PM
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eljusto.
Posts: 2163 - Karma: 457
Honestly big ups bringing light to this, super overlooked/underestimated. Shame to see so many preventable water deaths. Stay safe y’all!
Jul 31 2019 2:50AM
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