Summer holiday water safety warning for all

Keeping people safe in the water will be a "never-ending" effort, a sports officer says, as the school summer holidays begin.

Alan Jenner, outdoor and adventure officer at Guernsey Sports Commission, said he wanted people, particularly the young, to assess risks before they entered the water.

"If we can make people aware of what to do in an emergency it's just going to keep the community that bit safer," Jenner said.

The highest risks were due to spring tides and offshore winds, he said.

Jenner said the best way to prevent getting into trouble was to know "your ability and your skills in the water".

He advised people to check the weather for the wind direction and strength, and to find a beach where there was an onshore wind which would push people back into shore.

He urged people to check tide times and avoid "massive spring tides" and to "read all the signs".

"Just a few checks before you head down to the beach, and when you're actually at the beach, will keep you safe and that's the most important thing.

"I think it's going to be a never-ending attempt to try and make the community safer around water," Jenner said.

Jenner said people often stepped in to rescue others but "we don't want more casualties".

He advised people to think phone, float and throw.

"Phoning 999 straight away if they think someone's in trouble and asking them to float to live," he said.

He added: "That is going to stop people from panicking... and then throwing them something that they can grab on to just while the emergency services comes to rescue them."

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