Published: 14.08.2025.

To ensure that your rest by and on the water does not end in tragedy, it is necessary to follow safety rules.

Prerequisites for safe swimming

  • It is safest to swim in official swimming areas! If there are none, the shore of the swimming area should be flat, preferably with a solid foundation. In rivers, choose a place where the current is the slowest, and there are no gaps or other dangerous places nearby.
  • Don't swim alone! If you have problems near or on the water, there may not be anyone nearby who can help, for example by calling 112.
  • Do not swim in strong winds, at night or during a storm! Night is not the best time to swim, because if you swim further from the shore, you may get confused and lose your ability to find your way back.
  • Don't overestimate your abilities! Bragging about being able to swim the farthest or cross a river is not worth risking your life. In addition, if you were able to swim across a river last season, it doesn't mean that your physical fitness this swimming season is such that you can do it now.
  • If you have overheated in the sun, go into the water slowly to avoid a rapid change in body temperature, which can cause muscle cramps or heart and circulatory problems.
  • When traveling by boat, motorboat or other watercraft, it is mandatory to wear a life jacket. Remember that mattresses, rings, and floats are not safe. They are just toys that do not protect against drowning. The only guarantee of safety is a life jacket.
  • Children are allowed to play with inflatable toys in the water if an adult is in the water between the shore and the depth.
  • If the child is in water deeper than waist-deep, you must maintain constant visual contact with him/ her.
  • Children should be careful of waves that can knock them off their feet or cause such an unexpected shock that they lose their balance. In addition, a rip current can carry a swimmer deeper into the sea without them noticing.
  • If there are ponds, pools, wells near the house, they should be fenced off so that children cannot get near them alone, and the baby must be constantly supervised. Do not leave floating toys in backyard pools, as they can attract the baby's attention.
  • If you are caught in a current, you need to stay calm, swim forward with the current, trying to get closer to shore.
  • Don't joke around in the water, shouting "Help! I'm drowning!" because when you really need help, no one will pay attention.
  • Parents should remember that going to the water with their child is not a rest! The child must be supervised at all times. It is also important to teach the child that he should not go to water alone.

If you happen to get caught in a rip current

  • Keep calm.
  • Try to keep your head above water.
  • Swim parallel to the shore. Important! Do not swim against the current. Its speed may be faster than your swimming speed. Fighting against the current will make you lose your strength.
  • Once you are out of the current or it has weakened, swim to shore.

It is forbidden!

  • Swimming under the influence of alcohol or other intoxicating substances.
  • Jumping into the water from a springboard, boardwalk, bridge, or shore if you have not explored the waterbed.
  • Leaving a child unattended in the yard if there is water. It is advisable to enclose the water so that the child cannot fall into it.
  • Swim behind buoys that limit the swimming area.
  • Swimming in bodies of water where it is prohibited.

How to help a drowning person?

Remember that only a person who has mastered swimming techniques and knows how to grab the victim and pull him to shore can save a drowning person.

  • It is safest to provide assistance from the shore by throwing a rope or some floating object that will help the drowning person stay afloat (for example, an empty plastic water bottle, a ball, etc.). 
  • Immediately call the emergency services by calling 112, specifying the coordinates of the accident site and access options as precisely as possible.
  • If you do go into the water to rescue, take care of your own safety at the same time by using a floatation device (e.g. a ball, inflatable ring, etc.), because the drowning person may instinctively push you under the water.
  • Wait for rescuers and provide the victim's location.
A children's film about water safety from the film series "Dangerous Frontier" Part 2 "Abandoned Swimming Pool" (in Latvian language)

To survive after breaking through ice, you need to know a few simple tips on how to act correctly.

Going on the ice:

  • when going fishing, it is recommended not to go alone;
  • bring a charged phone in a waterproof case;
  • hosts must provide their planned location and return time as accurately as possible;
  • bring spare clothes and a thermos with warm and sweet tea;

Places where the ice will always be thinner:

  • River straits. In river straits, a channel is formed, the speed of water flow increases, and the warm water at the bottom of the river mixes with the rest of the water and rises to the top, so the ice is always thinner in this place.
  • Under bridges. Ice is always thinner under bridges due to air circulation and faster flow.
  • Along the coast. As a result of natural water fluctuations, as well as melting ice and snow, ice is pulled away from the coast. The dark background also contributes to faster melting.
  • On banks overgrown with reeds. On banks overgrown with reeds, ice is always more fragile and unstable.
  • Dark objects under the ice. The ice will be thinner in such places.
  • In shipping lanes. In shipping lanes in winter, ice is more fragile and thinner because it is often broken during navigation.
  • In places of sewers, stream inlets. Ice is always thinner in places of sewer water inlets due to their higher temperature and in places of stream inlets - due to rapid water movement.
  • Places with underwater ridges. Ice is thinner in places with underwater ridges due to the rapid movement of water in these places.
  • In places of "cold springs". In the winter, when the water temperature under the ice layer in reservoirs is around 0º C, the "cold springs" maintain their constant temperature - around + 8º C, therefore, in this situation they become "warm" and the ice above them is thinner.
  • In other places (in wide river mouths, on steep slopes, near piers, near capes, in places with abalone, in rivers with a strong current).

If it happens to break in, then:

  • You should shout loudly for help and those around you should immediately call 112;
  • Try to stay calm and stabilize your breathing;
  • To help, the injured person should approach the injured person on their backs or on their backs, without going directly to the injured person. The injured person should be given a rope, tied pieces of clothing, a long stick or some other object from a distance of about 2-5 meters. If there are several rescuers, they should be kept at a distance of 2-3 meters from each other.
  • When pulling a victim onto the ice or getting out onto the ice yourself, you must crawl away from the dangerous place to the shore. In order to successfully get out of the ice, anglers are encouraged to take various aids with them - ice picks or hooks, with the help of which you can grab onto the ice and thus pull yourself out. Such picks or hooks can also be made at home, for example, using a piece of wood and nails. In addition, a full fishing suit with a swimming function will allow you to swim up after breaking into the ice and not immediately sink.

How to help someone after being rescued from icefall:

  • immediately call an ambulance by calling 113;
  • the person should be placed in a warm room or at least out of the wind;
  • the person should be removed from wet clothes and shoes, replaced with dry ones, and covered with warm, dry clothes, preferably with a blanket or, if there is a car nearby, a foil blanket from the first aid kit can also be used;
  • the person should be placed on a box, sled, or other surface to minimize contact with snow and ice;
  • the person should not be warmed rapidly - warming should occur gradually;
  • as long as the person can move and is conscious, they can safely do so, as it will help them warm up;
  • if the person is not unconscious, a warm, sweet drink should be given;
  • the person should not be given alcohol, as it contributes to the cooling of the body. Alcohol gives a person a subjective, deceptive feeling that he is warm, but in reality, under the influence of alcohol, the peripheral blood vessels of the skin dilate and the body loses heat much faster;
  • if the person's condition is serious, do not move the person's arms and legs unnecessarily, do not massage them, as this will contribute to a faster loss of body heat; likewise, do not sit or stand the person, as this will reduce blood flow to the brain and the person may lose consciousness;
  • if the person loses consciousness, resuscitation measures should be taken. Resuscitation measures should be taken until the arrival of medical personnel or when the person has resumed normal breathing, or until the rescuer's strength is exhausted. If resuscitation measures are not taken, the chance of saving such a person will be small;
  • remember that even if the person is rescued, it is imperative to call emergency medical assistance;
  • if you have escaped on your own after a break-in, immediately try to call emergency medical assistance, or, if that is not possible, go to the nearest public place and home where help may be available;
  • never take off wet clothes unless you have dry spare clothes.

Observe!

  • Remember that by walking on ice, you give children and teenagers the wrong impression that it is safe.
  • Inform your loved ones and friends about the dangers of beeing on ice and what to do if you break through the ice.

Do not be indifferent to those on the ice! If you notice people too far from the shore, report them to the rescue service by calling 112! If you notice someone who has broken into the ice, try to help and be sure to call the rescue service by calling 112!

We offer you to familiarize yourself with a very useful publication published by Mario Vittone web. He has over 30 years of military service experience in the USA Marine Corps and Coast Guard.