WATCH ABOVE: The Life Saving Society of Nova Scotia and the Canadian Red Cross are urging people to stay safe when out of the water. the warning comes after three drownings this past weekend. Julia Wong reports.
HALIFAX – The Canadian Red Cross and the Life Saving Society of Nova Scotia are urging people to stay safe after three drownings in the province this past weekend.
On Sunday, a 23-year-old man died in Shortts Lake, which is near Brookfield, N.S. He had been kayaking when he and a 22-year-old man became distressed. The 23-year-old man did not make it to shore.
A 46-year-old man from Dartmouth died while attempting to swim across Lake Banook on Sunday morning, and a 52-year-old man from Sackville drowned at Chocolate Lake that same day. The Red Cross said these two incidents are considered to be the first swimming-related deaths so far this year.
Mike Maguire, program manager for the Life Saving Society, said the drownings are a harsh reminder of the dangers that are possible in and on the water.
“People are generally safe and do their best to be safe,” he said. “It’s just always good to provide those reminders and make sure people are aware of their activities.”
“[It’s important to have] a healthy respect for Mother Nature and [an] understanding it can get rough out there.”
He said the organization sees a spike in drownings around this time of year.
“Our populations on our beaches tend to spike a bit in August. When we get the first couple weeks of August is when we have most of our rescues,” he said.
“It’s because of that nice weather and people are on vacation. There’s more people and when there’s more people, there’s going to be more chances of things happening.”
Maguire suggests the following tips:
- Swim with a buddy
- Keep children within arm’s reach
- Wear your life jacket if you’re boating – don’t just put it in the boat
- Know your limits – don’t over exert yourself or don’t overestimate your swimming abilities
Warmer weather on the way
Shauna Moulton, the swimming and water safety representative for the Canadian Red Cross – Atlantic, said men tend to be the majority of drowning victims.
“It happens to be one of the demographics at higher risk. That could be for various factors, usually not wearing a [life jacket] or [not] remembering water safety tips and tricks,” she said.
She said the number of water-related deaths this year is lower than 2014. In 2014, there were 11 water-related deaths in the province. This year to date, there have been 11. However, Moulton notes that water-related deaths include incidents such as the tourist swept off the rocks at Peggy’s Cove and the death of a commercial diver at Annapolis Royal.
She said the spike this past weekend is important for people to keep in mind.
“There are many contributing factors for that – water safety awareness, colder waters, not fantastic weather,” she said.
But she said it is important not to get lulled into a false sense of security, especially as temperatures heat up this week.
Some tips from the Red Cross include:
- Swim at beaches with life guards
- Swim in the areas supervised by life guards and when they are on duty
- Know the area where you are swimming
- Enter feet first into water if you are unfamiliar with the area
Drownings “scary” for beachgoers
Lori Greer was at Chocolate Lake Monday taking care of several young children as she reflected on the deadly weekend for Nova Scotian waters.
“To me, it’s scary,” she said.
“I’ve always stuck close to where the lifeguards are.”
Greer said she keeps an eye out on her young children to ensure they don’t fall into any danger at the beach.
Andrea Quintero was at the beach with her three-year-old daughter. She was at Chocolate Lake Sunday around the time of the drowning and admits it’s “freaky” to be there the day after the incident.
But she said the lifeguards supervising the beach give her comfort.
“I feel pretty safe out here with my daughter, myself and my friend,” she said.
Quintero also said she keeps her swimming abilities in mind when she’s heading into the water.
“I know that I’m not the best swimmer so I try to stay a little closer to shore. If my feet can touch the sand then I’m good. If I go farther away and I’m not touching the sand, I come closer,” she said.
Municipality reviewing incidents
HRM Aquatics and Leisure Specialist Jen Nagle said staff are doing a review of the incidents at Lake Banook and Chocolate Lake. Both beaches are supervised by HRM lifeguards.
“With any incident that we have, we always do a debrief with staff. We get all the paperwork filled out and talk to witnesses who were on the beach,” she said.
Nagle said the drowning victims were outside of the HRM supervised areas.
“The lifeguards have a supervised area at each beach within the flags and the buoys that they put on the beach and the water. That’s the area they maintain their focus on but they’re scanning outside that as well and they’ll respond to incidents that happen outside the supervised area,” she said.
Nagle said staff are offered counseling and that a leave of absence after an incident such as the drownings is up to the individual.
A HRM report into the incidents is expected later this year.
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