The RNLI is urging everyone to be ‘water smart’ this summer as it reveals how many people died around the South West coast last year.
Of the 25 people who lost their lives in the region in 2018, 20 were male - and men are the most likely to die in the water, says the RNLI.
Another worrying trend, says the charity, is that more than half of those who died at the coast in 2018 had ended up in the water unexpectedly.
The RNLI has launched its annual ‘Respect the Water’ campaign which aims to prevent drownings with a few key messages:
If you find yourself in trouble in cold water, fight your instinct to swim hard or thrash about. This can lead to breathing in water.
Instead, relax, and float on your back until you have regained control of your breathing.
The RNLI’s community safety partner Steve Instance said: ‘Many of the tragic deaths at the coast can be avoided if people understand the risks and prepare themselves by practising the Float technique.
‘Many of the men who died last year and all five of the female fatalities did not plan on entering the water. Slips, trips and falls caught them unaware while out running or walking.
‘Knowing what to do if you fall into cold water can be the difference between life and death.’
Read more about the RNLI’s water smart campaign - and the testimony of a Cornish surfer who credits the advice with saving her life - in this week’s Cornish Times, out on Friday