Expert: “You can’t beat the sea, no matter how good you swim”

In July, compared to last year, the number of accidents at sea increased by about 30%. Experts called the reasons that lead to a tragic end.

To turn an inflatable toy into a death trap, it only takes a few seconds. Misjudgment of weather conditions, overestimation of forces and, in most cases, unawareness of the real danger often end tragically. Especially in a country with such a long coastline as Greece, such incidents are far from rare. According to the founder and president of Safe Water Sports, Panagiotis Paschalakis, this July the number of maritime accidents increased by about a third compared to last year.

“On the beach, where the wind force is usually very significant, when you are on a mattress or an inflatable ring, you can be carried out to the open sea in a matter of seconds / minutes!” And then trouble cannot be avoided. Rescuers and the involvement of Coast Guard boats will be required.

Among the latest incidents is the case of an 8-year-old boy who, on an air mattress (a beach in Lagonisi), was carried into the sea. His father jumped into the sea after him. As a result, the boy was saved, and the head of the family died.

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“Before the tragedy is at hand. When you are on a beach where the force of the wind is strong, when you are swimming in the sea (even close to the shore) on an air mattress or a circle, a single gust of wind can put your life at risk, blowing you out to sea. Most of the accidents that we see are due to the fact that someone did not realize the risk,” explains Mr. Paschalakis.

For his part, Marios Myronakis, president of the Union of Greek Rescue Schools, speaks of the indifference of bathers to danger. “You can’t swim towards a floating craft that has been blown away by the wind. You will never catch up with him, thereby only putting your life at risk, ”says the specialist.

However, even in those cases where one feels that one should intervene to save another person, Mr. Mironakis recommends, above all, to remain calm. “If we want to help, we must know that we are also in danger, so let’s “take help with us” so that at least we don’t drown ourselves. The best thing we can do is call for help.”

In the case of the boy and his father, a lifeboat from Anavyssos came to the rescue. Unfortunately, the father lost consciousness in the waves, and the child survived on the water, because he had an air mattress. Element in general (and the sea in particular) you can’t win, no matter how good you can swim. Impossible to swim to the watercraft blown by the wind. It carries it away from you much faster than you swim after it!

However, in case of any danger at sea, the bather or relative is obliged to immediately notify the coast guard by calling 112, 108 – the emergency number of the port corps – or directly to the competent port authority, the operational center of the unified search and rescue directorate.

“We are taking the necessary actions, which we coordinate with the local port authorities, to engage service boats, as well as private rescue teams, divers, in general, everything that exists in the area, so that we can help people who are in danger or in a difficult situation” , explains Mr. Panagiotis Polidoras, Coast Guard Deputy Press Officer.

According to Safe Water Sports and organizations working in cooperation with the Coast Guard and the Greek Police, there were 386 fatal accidents while at sea in 2022. Of these, 181 were drowning cases, with 21 resulting from pathological causes. 53% of people who die during recreational activities are people aged 18-59, with the majority of injuries (and accidents) occurring in men aged 18-59.

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