Since it’s Summer, everyone remember that even “safe” looking water at b...
13Not trying to make a downer post BUT please everyone be aware of rip currents and don’t just jump in the water at the beach, or off sand bars etc.
We were just in Florida for two weeks and three people have died at Destin, Florida, at or near the “crab island” since Memorial Day weekend. One fell in the water off the bow of a boat ( and evidently hit the propeller and was found later), another incident four people jumped in the water to fix their pontoon boat and one went underwater and never resurfaced until found deceased a couple of days later. The other three people were luckily rescued by other people but they weren’t pulled under the water before they were rescued. Finally, the most recent victim was operating a boat and reached over to retrieve his hat from the water, fell in and his body was found a couple of days later by a kayaker in the Gulf of Mexico.
Wear a life jacket when you are on boats, because if you fall in the water, at least you should have a fighting chance to keep your head above the water and survive! Don’t ride on bow of boats while they are moving and don’t lean over to retrieve lost things like hats! Have fun but stay safe and plan for the unexpected as rip currents do occur ! Of course it’s not just rip currents that can drown people but there are drop offs off of crab island and the water is very swift and deep there. Be aware and stay prepared wherever you are and whatever you are doing.
We all had a great time in Florida but it was very sad seeing the coast guard in helicopters patrolling the beach area waters as you knew they were looking for a missing person. 
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This is what it looks like from a drone.
You should swim towards the side to get out, not against it.
I live in northern New England & we get similar warnings this time of year, that even on the hottest days, the water temp is still very frigid & can quickly cause hypothermia, which can lead to drownings. The same goes for river currents, the surface of the water can look so calm, while the current can be surprisingly strong & fast. So many senseless tragedies every year.
@ircon96 It’s happened here recently on a mountain lake and in rivers; 11 so far this year!
@Kyeh Wow, double digits already? So sad. It seems even more tragic when someone drowns trying to save someone else, esp their own child, etc. We’ve had a couple of those recently.
@ircon96 Yes, definitely.
@ircon96 even calm looking rivers can be scary.
@djslack Damn, those Brits really know how to spin a yarn! Good thing that stream is in Yorkshire, i wouldn’t imagine there are too many days where the weather is conducive to taking a dip!
My dad once swam between two Florida keys that were quite close together. Less than 30 yards maybe? He kinda dared himself, and Mom couldn’t talk him out of it.
He had, for years, regularly played tennis 4-7 times a week; and also ran a lot.
Even with that conditioning, he barely made it. Local people later told him that was nuts and, also, he had been very lucky.
One said: “Forgetting the current, there are always sharks in the bays. How do you think they get there?”
And the current was something else, even not close in time to high tidal activity.
@f00l Yikes, Florida sharks add a whole new level to a challenge!
Doesn’t take an ocean. People get in trouble tubing/canoeing down rivers all the time because they don’t check the river/know about old weirs and you can’t see it/it’s a calm flow. By the time you do it looks like no big deal/kids are too far away to grab/can’t make it to shore. Then get trapped at the base of it due to the hydraulic jump/recirculation and drown.
@unksol We had a group of people go paddle boarding on Memorial Day here. The river was very high, requiring a permit that these guys didn’t have. They knew about the low head dam but couldn’t get off the river in time since it was running so fast. Two didn’t make it.
@sammydog01 @unksol This is very good:
@bdb @sammydog01 lol I almost linked practical engineering for weirs but figured no one would watch it.
/youtube low head dams practical engineering
@bdb @unksol We have a big river that runs right through the city. In places at under 4 feet it’s a great place to play in the water, but keep an eye on the kids because there are class III and IV rapids downstream in the city limits.
Here’s a photo of the dam the group went over:
It’s twelve feet high but was mostly washed over because the river was running at 9 feet.
Here’s a photo the news people took of the dam from upstream- it’s on this side of the bridge:
If you didn’t know it was there you would go right over. The lesson is know where you’re floating.
The one that fell off the boat and was found by a kayaker was the city marshal in my hometown.
@djslack he was a friend of a fb friend of mine. He was a great man from everything I have read about him. Truly a tragedy and heartbreaking for all his family and friends. Sorry for your city’s loss of a great man and leader.
The water is not our domain. Stay on land where you belong.
@medz Some would say, that’s why we don’t have fins, flippers or gills!