Swimming, an enjoyable sport but...

A.C. de Silva

It is a great pity that in Sri Lanka, year after year a large number of people of both sexes, young and old, lose their lives due to accidental drowning. Even more shocking is the fact that a good percentage of these fatal accidents is generally due to avoidable circumstances of one kind or another. By creating a nationwide understanding of the basic rules of water safety, many a precious life can be saved.

Aquatics as a sport in Sri Lanka is seen in its ancient and modern forms. While thousands take to swimming and diving in fashionable swimming pools, many more thousands bathe and swim in unguarded, natural waters. It must be admitted that going for a dip in a river or lake amidst natural surroundings has a charm of its own. Nevertheless, the fact remains that such kind of swimming and play are dangerous unless necessary precautions are taken. It is nothing but right to study some of the hazards in swimming and the common causes of drowning.

It goes without saying that the best way of checking mishaps in water is by teaching on a mass scale swimming and its safety rules. Swimming, undoubtedly, is an enjoyable sport and the feeling of conquering water is itself a thrill. To the pleasure of swimming as a recreation is added the satisfaction of knowing that it may prove useful to the swimmer himself or to someone else in distress. Besides promoting health and strength, swimming contributes a great deal to the development of skills for self-protection and coming to the aid of others.There is an ocean of difference between land and water, and as such, it is utter foolishness to attempt to do in the water what we do on land.

Enthusiastic swimmers, especially youngsters, often resort to horseplay without realising its hidden dangers. Accidents do happen because of roughness and carelessness. While talking of hazards, in addition to what has been said the following rules of safety should be taken note of:

1. It is not advisable to go for swimming all alone. Particularly, long, solitary swims involve great risks.

2. People should not swim or dive in any place not familiar to them, without proper investigation. Submerged rocks, under-water currents, weeds and harmful water creatures are not uncommon.

3. Some individuals are unusually susceptible to cold water which may produce shock, resulting in serious cramps. Such people should be alive to their limitations and not try to swim in extremely cold water or remaining in the water for long.

4. People who suffer frequently from muscle pull, acute body pain and similar handicaps should not go for swimming without proper escort. Swimming should be totally prohibited for those who are victims of epilepsy and other types of fits.

5. Abdominal cramps are often caused by undigested food in the system. Do not therefore, swim immediately after a heavy meal.

6. Never attempt to swim beyond your normal capacity, unless there is adequate protection. Some swimmers while swimming fail to realise that they have to cover an equal distance to reach the shore. Therefore, they get exhausted on their way back.

Swimming enthusiasts must make an intelligent approach to their activities.

It is a known fact that deep water is generally dangerous. However, the fact remains that it requires just as much ability to swim in water five feet deep, as it does in water fifty feet deep. In most instances panic is the main cause of drowning accidents. Because death is a possibility, fear becomes a very potent factor in the behaviour of the individual and this factor cannot be discounted. Although fear is a natural instinct, there is no need to be afraid at all, if the necessary safety methods are adopted. It can be a safe, enjoyable activity too.

Breathing is a vital aspect of swimming. Breathing involves raising of the head above the water. This action increases resistance and consequently the speed is curtailed if the swimming concerned is actively involved in a race as such, but the swimer concerned has to learn when to breathe. Sports and games have indeed become applied sciences and particularly in swimming competitions a scientific approach and attitude have paid high dividends. It is not the knowledge of how a skill is performed, but why it is performed that has helped to create records.