How dangerous is open-water swimming?

In July of 2022, the BBC published an article on their website entitled “The hidden dangers of summertime swims” aimed at increasing public awareness of the risks posed by a seemingly innocent open water dip. It noted how warning notices posted at potential swim sites are often ignored and that the potential of prosecution seems to be largely ineffective. Indeed, people often breakthrough or tunnel under perimeter fences to gain access to lakes and quarries where swimming is forbidden. Possibly as a result, the same locations have seen multiple examples of tragic events across the years with a succession of drownings occurring on the same site. For example, it cited Gullet Quarry in Malvern which has seen five deaths within the last 14 years.

Several excellent points were made outlining the dangers posed by swimming in lakes. rivers and the sea; dangers which are all too often ignored. It noted that people who drown are not necessarily poor swimmers. Hidden underwater hazards are not always considered, be they vegetation, rocks or general discarded debris. Anyone entering the water without due care can collide with or become entangled within them leading to serious injuries or death. If one adds in the influence of alcohol which is often a factor plus peer pressure within a group and normal rational decisions can easily take a back seat. In addition, poor water quality due to stagnation or pollution can lead to illness or have more serious consequences if not taken into account. Equally, in rivers or tidal areas unexpected strong currents can quickly lead to swimmers getting into difficulties affecting breathing and movement and rapid exhaustion.

However, the BBC said, it is the effects of cold water which is thought to be the major problem. Areas of still water such as quarries are usually very deep with temperatures plummeting not far from the surface whilst areas with running water such as rivers, are being constantly fed with cooler waters from upstream. What is planned as a cooling dip can often in reality be a plunge into unexpexdedly near freezing conditions. The BBC article noted how immersion in cold water can increase both heart rate and blood pressure which may lead to heart attacks even in relatively young and healthy individuals.

Having read the article it was clear to me that education about the dangers of open-water swimming was woefully lacking for the population as a whole. Swim coaches have their part to play in this, perhaps concentrating on teaching people HOW to swim whilst not always addressing the issues of WHERE to swim and WHEN to swim.

And yet was the BBC article completely fair? Whilst all the points made were perfectly valid. did it pander to the public perception regarding the dangers of drowning in open water whilst not always concentrating on the facts?

To be fair it did quote figures published by the Water Incident Database (WAID) which records water-related incident data from a wide range of sources within the UK search and rescue sectors. These showed that there were 277 deaths reported in 2021 but that the figure for those who drowned whilst swimming was 70.

Now we need to be clear, no death should be seen as more or less important than any other. Each one represents a human tragedy, a heart-rendering, gut-wrenching loss from which a family can never fully recover. This is not some competition; a morbid and macabre race to the bottom. Nevertheless, the official WAID figures do allow us to provide some context to the relative dangers posed by open-water swimming.

The results for 2022 show that the overall number of recorded deaths has fallen slightly to 226, of which 53 are classed as swimming-related. (There are another 155 deaths where the cause has not been recorded and, rather shockingly, a further 212 suspected suicides).

However, returning to the recorded deaths, the proportion of incidents attributable to swimming, whilst far from insignificant, still leaves a huge proportion where the cause is classed under a different category. Some of these often make dramatic headlines in the press but are relatively insignificant. For example, “Crime”, “Person On Ice” and “Aminal Rescue” all account for just four deaths each. Jacuzzi and hot tub accidents are more common. Although “Diving and jumping in” accounts for a significant 15 deaths, motorboating is considered more dangerous with 21 deaths.

Interestingly, despite the focus made in the BBC article on deaths in quarries, there was just one recorded death in this category in 2022.

The largest category though surpassing even swimming was “Walking/Running” with 76 attributable deaths. Whilst swimming accidents tend to occur in rivers, lakes and at the coast, the type of location for walkers and runners is the broadest of all the categories studied with harbours, ditches, ponds and drains all being the site of tragedies. Although not recorded, one can surmise that these people were often alone when disaster struck with no-one about to provide aid and assistance.

But even these figures need to be seen in a wider context. These totals record how many people died while partaking in each activity but does not show the total number of participants overall and thus it is not possible to deduce the relative dangers. However, according to the Outdoor Swimming Society an estimated five million people swim annually outdoors. Their frequency will of course vary but estimates suggest that approximately one in 50,000 swims result in a drowning death. Figures for the other categories are not readily available but from this (admittedly very broad) estimate it can be seen that open-water swimming is far safer than many people think.

That is not to say that it should not be approached with extreme caution and proper preparation. If the dangers are overstated by the likes of the BBC that is perhaps no bad thing. However, neither should it discourage those who wish to swim in the open. Just choose the location wisely, exercise caution at all times, learn from the advice of others and have a plan as to what to do if anything should go wrong.

And take extra care when walking there.