Tips to stay safe on the water this weekend

Those heading to the lake this weekend are being reminded to stay safe after multiple drownings have already been reported across Saskatchewan this summer.

A man is presumed drowned after he jumped into Lake Diefenbaker to rescue some children on Canada Day. Last weekend, there was also the tragic case of a man and woman who died at Turtle Lake. In May, a 21-year-old man from Alberta drowned in the Swift Current Creek.

“Drownings do happen a lot throughout the summer across Canada. A lot of these drownings do tend to be what we call unintentional water fatalities, where a person enters the water and doesn’t intend to be in the water,” said Lewis Smith, manager of national projects with the Canada Safety Council.

Smith told the Brent Loucks Show on CKOM that water safety needs to be prioritized and also provided some safety tips.

He said 82 per cent of people who drown in Canada are males, adding the evidence suggests that’s tied to alcohol which is involved in 34 per cent of all drownings.

“A lot of these drownings come as a result of people who are on boats, who don’t necessarily intend on being in the water, but will have a few beers on the boat and then end up falling overboard,” said Smith.

That’s why Smith said it’s always important to wear a life jacket whenever you intend to be on or around water, even if you don’t plan on going in.

He said it doesn’t take long for a child to drown, stressing the importance of supervision.

“If you’re walking around a body of water that’s not protected — that doesn’t have a fence or some kind of enclosure — it’s not a bad idea to carry around something like a personal flotation device you can throw to them,” said Smith.

Even for adults, Smith said it can be dangerous to treat the flotation device as a primary means of escape. He explained people are far better off using it as a tool to keep them safe until help arrives.

Smith also had a tip for those who don’t know how to swim.

“The best way to try to avoid drowning is to float on your back,” he said. “Just turn over. As long as you’re breathing calmly and you’re not flailing around, your body will instinctively stay afloat and that’ll give you an opportunity to call for help.”