As the summer temperatures soar, so does the temptation to take a cooling dip in the Gulf waters. Yet, for a country with such a beautiful coastline, many inviting beaches and a proud pearl-diving tradition, the somewhat surprising truth is that many people in the UAE do not know how to swim well, nor where and how to swim safely.
As The National reported over the weekend, there has been a sharp rise in the number of sea rescues. Dubai Police's search and rescue department reported that there were two days this month with six incidents of swimmers getting into difficulty.
While nobody died in those incidents, Lt Col Ahmad Burqibah said there were three drowning deaths in Dubai last year in a total of 46 rescue cases. Most cases involved people aged between 21 and 30, and the leading cause of drowning was “because some people ignore our advice and instructions”.
Water safety is as important as road safety, and we should all learn the rules. Most importantly, swim only where there are white or yellow flags, with the latter requring extra caution, and never where a red flag is flying. The beach is a blessing during summer, enjoy it wisely.
