Sarnia Fire Rescue is reminding the public that safety is paramount while out on the water swimming or boating.
Fire Life Safety Educator Mike Otis said the warnings come after multiple tragic drownings on area waterways over the past several months.
"Never swim alone. Make sure you're with a buddy," said Otis. "Know your limits and don't overestimate your swimming abilities. People underestimate the power of water and the changing currents, changing weather conditions. There's undertows and rip currents and so many things. Even the strongest swimmers have to be careful in bad conditions and with currents and undertows and that. Always have flotation devices handy, life jackets, etc. Always supervise children and just always be aware of the conditions and how fast things could change."
Otis said drowning often doesn't look like drowning.
"In movies, people flail their arms, they scream for help," he said. "A lot of the times in real life, drowning, the person just looks like they're kind of climbing a ladder, but underwater. They're barely keeping their head above water and then they just go under. It's not as dramatic as in movies. It might not even be obvious."
Otis notes when a rip current pulls you out, it's very hard to just swim against them. You should swim adjacent towards the shore out of the current.
He said don't risk your own life and become a second victim while trying to save someone.
"That's important in a lot of rescue situations, not just water, but with water as well, is you should throw something to them," said Otis. "Don't become a second victim and you want to throw them something that floats, rope bags, life jackets, water rings or rescue rings. Throw them something so they can help stay afloat until they get help. But don't just jump in and perhaps make the situation even worse."
The first drowning was reported over the May long weekend when a 22-year-old from Nepal died after falling from a raft in Lake Huron, near Port Franks.
A 67-year-old man died on June 28 in a drowning incident at South Beach in Grand Bend.
The bodies of a 36-year-old from Scarborough, and a 66-year-old from London were pulled from the waters near Grand Bend in late August.
Lambton OPP recovered the body of a kayaker, near Grand Bend, on September 6 after going missing the previous day.
Well-known local soccer player Ochard (Ocho) Campbell died after drowning at The Cove this past weekend, and a woman died while trying to save her son from drowning near Mike Weir Park.
