How are we tackling the drowning problem around our coasts?

In 2012, we reached a crossroads in our mission to save lives at sea. We had the best possible kit, training and crew, yet there remained a stubborn coastal drowning statistic that just would not go down. ‘It’s about a 2:1 ratio,’ says Coastal Safety Manager Will Stephens. ‘For every two people whose lives we save, another person sadly drowns.’

On average, 169 people still die every year around the UK’s coast*. We’re working with the Irish Water Safety Forum to get annual numbers for Ireland, but it could be as many as 80.

From handing out barometers in the late 1800s to the SEA Check volunteers who have helped sailors since the 1990s, the RNLI has been doing coastal safety work since its earliest days.

‘In 2012 we realised we needed to take a radical new approach,’ explains Will. ‘If we continue the same measures, we will always get the same results.’ He now heads up a team helping the RNLI to achieve a serious goal – to halve coastal drowning in the UK and Republic of Ireland by the charity’s bicentenary in 2024.

It might appear an insurmountable problem. The sea can seem a cruel, indiscriminate, random taker of lives. But dig deeper, gather evidence and research, and patterns begin to emerge. And where there’s a pattern, there is hope – because lessons can be learned and specific, targeted solutions can be developed.

The 21-strong Coastal Safety Team, supported by researchers, operational staff and volunteers, are steadily building a profile of coastal drowning – and how to tackle it. Whether they have a search and rescue background that showed them the preventable nature of many accidental deaths, or they’re watersports enthusiasts who want to make the water a safer place for everyone, they are all driven by one mission: to halve coastal drowning in the next 10 years. Meet some of the people who will be taking us there ...

THE COASTAL SAFETY INTELLIGENCE MANAGER
JoJo Mains worked for the US Coast Guard for 24 years. He joined the RNLI as a trainer in 2008, moving to Coastal Safety in 2011.

‘We shouldn’t be quick to judge – everyone has their own unfamiliar environments. I might be okay on a boat, but stick me on top of Everest and I’ll probably do something “stupid”. Take lifeguards as an example: they look out over the mass of people and, based on their accumulated knowledge and experience, instantly know who’s about to get into trouble. They spot a rip current developing and move the swimming area flags. We take evidence, not anecdote, and use it to understand the dangers and make adjustments that encourage safer behaviour. Coastal Safety is moving the flags too, on a national level.’

THE PRODUCT MANAGER
Pip Hare is a professional ocean racing sailor. She launched her solo career in 2009 sailing 7,500 miles non-stop from Uruguay to the UK. Pip joined the RNLI in 2013, and works on tide, coastal walking, youth and – not surprisingly – sailing.

‘Single-handed ocean racing is one of the more extreme sailing pursuits, but I’ve thought about the risks and put strategies in place. I think it puts me in a strong position to convey that message. As a sailing instructor, I’m not judgemental about people’s lack of knowledge either. Some of the results from our research on tidal knowledge were shocking (“the tide only comes in at night” came up quite often), but that’s their sphere of experience. The most exciting thing about this job is picking up the phone and finding out what’s possible. It's about rethinking the problem and not being afraid to try new things.’

THE AMBASSADOR
James Haskell is a Wasps and England rugby player, who launched a trial of Respect the Water in Brighton last Summer (pictured above).

‘I was immediately attracted to the concept. I felt I could make a difference to deliver the results and kick-start what will be an ongoing campaign to save people’s lives. The spectacle of someone like me, who has a slight reputation for being a big lad, being totally impotent in the presence of water, hopefully will make a few people sit up and think.’

Offshore members can read more from James on why he’s putting his weight behind our Respect the Water campaign in the latest Offshore magazine.

THE REGIONAL INCIDENT REDUCTION MANAGER
Brian Robson spent 30 years as a firefighter and 5 years implementing West Yorkshire Fire Service’s community safety plans. He's an RNLI governor and volunteer of 30 years, ‘tempted out of retirement’ in 2013.

‘I feel at home already: the tea tables in fire and lifeboat stations are where it all happens! As a firefighter, I was called out for too many people who needed targeted safety advice, and it was too late. For me, there was no better argument for community education. We reached exactly the same crossroads that the RNLI did in 2012, which is why I know this approach can work. It’s in the RNLI’s heritage – from the beginning, lifeboat communities have been seeing a problem, fundraising and trying to solve it locally. I am convinced that, with the right support, communities can and will solve these problems for themselves.’

THE PRODUCT MANAGER
Chris Adams has a background as a watersports instructor and lifeguard. He joined the RNLI in 2013 and works on areas including kayaking and angling.

‘If you know what the problem looks like and understand the people involved, you can intervene early and tackle root causes, whether that’s an absence of suitable kit, a cost barrier or a behaviour that’s not yet the norm. Pooling ideas and expertise is really effective: recently we challenged RNLI staff and volunteers to devise a better means of calling for help for kayakers. There will always be incidents – the sea is a dynamic, changing environment. We want people to be able to call for help and survive. Put it this way: would you rather be woken up by a smoke alarm, or a firefighter pulling you from your burning home?’

THE COMMUNITY INCIDENT REDUCTION MANAGER
Nicola Davies has a background in volunteering for – and later, managing – Coastguard rescue teams. She joined the RNLI as a Divisional Sea Safety Manager in 2002.

‘For me the most exciting thing about this new role is being able to do more on a local level. Nationally, tidal cut-off statistics might not register, but people around Sully Island see others risk their lives needlessly in this way every week. There’ll always be a place for our sea safety volunteers, but we’re also taking on more volunteers to suit the coastal activities that are popular in the area. And there’ll always be a place for our lifeboat crews too. I’m married to a coxswain, so I know the only way we can make this target happen is by working together – with our lifesavers, communities and other search and rescue organisations.’

. . .

Safety spotlight: Swim Safe
The ASA (Amateur Swimming Association) found that 50% of primary schoolchildren can’t swim 25m. Swim Safe, a joint ASA-RNLI initiative, will be running 6 days a week in the school Summer holidays at Bude (pictured left), Boscombe and South Shields. A free 40-minute session gives children used to swimming in pools vital practical experience of the sea. For dates and booking details see the ASA’s web pages at swimming.org/SwimSafe.

Safety spotlight: making sense of tides
How effective is explaining tides with lengthy leaflets or signs? People have to research, understand and then apply that kind of knowledge for incidents to be reduced. But a traffic light taps into an instinctive behaviour that people already understand. An innovative new traffic light, linked to a tidal gauge, will be trialled at Sully Island in the Vale of Glamorgan. Visitors often get caught out on the causeway by the tide, with serious consequences.