How To Stay Safe On Your Aquatic Adventures!

Some people feel at home in the water, but more often than not you’re a little fish in a big pond. Dr Jane Wilson-Howarth looks at the frequently unseen risks of swimming in the wild…

- Dr Jane Wilson-Howarth

Whether climbing into a secluded forest pond or swimming with humpbacks off the Western Australian coast, it is often the lure of the unknown that draws us into the water. Paradoxically, it is also what goes unseen that people imagine poses the biggest threat to our safety. But while it is easy to imagine piranhas or sharks lurking beneath, how likely is a dangerous encounter while swimming?

The USA has suffered the most recorded shark attacks on Earth, claim Florida’s International Shark Attack File, yet the stats show you are around a thousand times more likely to drown in its waters than be attacked by a shark. Worldwide, on average, there are less than 70 shark attacks a year and, of these, around six prove fatal. The threat of a great-white attack might be a fine traveller’s tale, but the facts say that it is the physical environment which is most likely to harm us. Still, there are plenty of other dangers to consider.

INTO THE WILD

With the growth in popularity of wild swimming, new dangers are emerging. Estuarine crocodiles (or ‘salties’) have attacked significant numbers of people in South-East Asia and Australia. Known for their aggression, on average, salties kill two people in Australia every year.

As with all water hazards, take local advice: there are frequently warning signs in Australia to mark where there have been crocodile attacks. Such incidents are most likely when people pose close to an animal or clean freshly caught fish near the water.