(DailyExpertNews) — On Good Friday 2017, Wyatt Werneth received a call from his wife, who had gone shopping with their daughter: the car has broken down. Please save us.
Werneth jumped into his vehicle to assist, driving through Patrick Space Force Base near Cape Canaveral, Florida. From the A1A highway, Werneth said you can see the ocean.
What he next saw was a twist of fate that led to a much more urgent rescue.
“I could see someone waving in traffic as I drove by. … I stopped to see what was going on; I immediately had this instinct that something was happening in the water,” Werneth recalled to DailyExpertNews Travel.
“When I came over the berm, I didn’t realize what I was getting into. There were several people in the water.”
And they were in trouble. Very serious problems. Rip current kind of problems.
The scene would send shivers down everyone’s spine, but at least Werneth was prepared. He is an experienced lifeguard instructor and had water rescue equipment with him.
But how could he save them all with at least five people struggling in a vicious Atlantic rip current?
The stats are grim
An estimated 3,960 fatal accidental drownings (including boating incidents) occur in the United States each year. That is an average of 11 drowning deaths per day.
Crowds flock to the sea and sands of Miami’s South Beach. Florida is No. 4 in drowning deaths per 100,000 people in the United States. It is important to understand how to enjoy open water safely.
Lazyllama/Adobe Stock
From 2015 to 2019, the states with the most drowning deaths per 100,000 people were:
1. Alaska
2. Hawaii
3. Louisiana
4. Florida
5. Mississippi
And then there are the even more numerous non-fatal drownings. The CDC says that people who survive a drowning incident have a variety of outcomes: “From no injuries to very serious injuries or permanent disability.”
The tragedy is that many of these deaths and injuries are preventable, experts say. What can you do to safely enjoy the water – be it the ocean, river, lake or pool – and not get involved in the rows of drowning deaths? It turns out a lot.
Who is most at risk?
Men jump into the waters of the Bosphorus on the Anatolian side, also known as the Asian side, of Istanbul. Around the world, men are at greater risk of drowning than women.
Moe Zoyari/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Knowing who is more likely to drown is critical. Risk groups need the most attention. Some of them in the United States are:
• Minority groups: Fatal drowning rates for American Indians or Alaska Indians aged 29 and under are two times higher than for white people. For blacks, the rate is 1.5 times higher than for whites.
Drowning Prevention Tips
Children receive swimming lessons at a YMCA in Memphis, Tennessee. Research shows that participating in formal swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning.
Karen Pulfer Focht/The Commercial Appeal/AP
“However, children who have had swimming lessons still require close and constant supervision when in or around the water,” the agency writes. Do not be distracted by TV, books or the telephone when watching children in the water.
If you drink alcoholic beverages, stay out of the water and do not sail. Impaired judgment and slow reactions can lead to tragedy.
People in boats and weaker swimmers, especially in open water, should wear life jackets.
And keep an eye on it again. Go outside if there is a thunderstorm or heavy rain.
Know the water environments
People swim in the surf at Waimea Bay Beach Park on the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii, under a warning flag. Experts say don’t underestimate the power of waves, even though there’s no official warning.
Caleb Jones/AP
Understand the waters you are about to enter. Different bodies of water present different types of hazards.
OCEAN RIP CURRENT
These currents flow away from the coast. They often form at breaks in sandbanks and near piers and rock faces.
• Stay calm. Rip currents do not pull you underwater, but drag you further from the coast.
• Do not swim against the current. Try to escape by “swimming out of the current in a direction that follows the shoreline,” the USLA says. You may be able to escape by floating or pedaling and going with the current.
• If you’re in trouble, yell and wave for help.
If you’re not trained, don’t try to rescue people yourself. Find a lifeguard, call 911, or throw a float their way. Have the person swim parallel to the shoreline to escape.
OTHER OCEAN TIPS
RIVERS
Tubing and other activities are popular in rivers. But fast currents and subsurface obstacles or debris can be dangerous.
Werneth said you should research the river before going in.
Watercraft hug the shoreline at Blue Marsh Lake near Reading, Pennsylvania. In that state, you will need a boating safety education certificate to operate one. The US Coast Guard says you should wear life jackets that protect the hull while driving. Also, do not wake up or drink alcohol before going to work.
Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle/Getty Images
LAKES AND PONDS
POOLS
And even if your kids can swim, adults should keep a close eye on them. Keep flotation devices handy.
SAIL
National shortage of lifeguards
A lifeguard watches visitors swim at the Raging Waters Sacramento water park at Cal Expo in Sacramento, California. There is a shortage of guards this year, so be extra vigilant.
David Paul Morris/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Werneth said the group’s message has always been “swim for a lifeguard”. But he said the reality of the shortage is giving rise to a new one: “Learn to swim, America.”
“We want people to be self-reliant. Designate someone in your family as a water warden. Have that person resuscitate.”
And if someone can’t swim and still wants to wade, “put them on a life jacket. It makes a difference.”
Operation Rescue
In 2017 on that Florida beach, Werneth’s job was daunting. But he had a cool head, decades of experience – and luckily there was a second experienced helper on hand who he later learned was from the Air Force.
“He was pulling people out on his own before I even got there. … That Air Force guy kind of came back with one. I saw he had one that went a little unconscious, and I jumped right into the water, swam out, grabbed the unconscious person and took him out.”
Werneth guesses they were about 50 yards away, and he remembers eventually pulling five male teenagers out of the water. They weren’t even in swimsuits, Werneth said, leading him to think going into the ocean was a spontaneous decision.
Would the group have died without the rescue, leaving him exhausted?
“I assure you they all would have… These people went in there to help each other, and it set off a chain reaction. Don’t go in the water to help someone without a flotation device,” he said.
“It was perfect timing that I showed up and happened to be there to help those guys.” All because the family car had broken down. But not everyone can rely on luck.
Ultimately you need ‘water confidence’, gained through experience and respect for the water.
“The fear is what causes the panic that causes the drowning.”