Tragedy on the Baltic Sea, a beachgoer dies. Expert: A current near the shore can knock down an adult
A tragedy occurred in Darłówko – a strong current carried away two people, one of them did not survive. The director of the CERSAR Educational Center talked about the powerful element that beachgoers had to deal with.
On August 17, in the eastern part of the popular resort in West Pomerania – where one of the beachgoers died – a red flag was flying. It was hung up by rescuers due to weather conditions and waves that reached several meters high. It means no bathing.
According to the findings of the press – the “Głos Koszaliński” daily – despite the flag, the beachgoers decided to take a risk and entered the water. They were carried away by a strong current and began to drown – the woman survived and is currently in hospital. Representatives of the Maritime Search and Rescue Service who arrived at the scene rescued her, but her companion was less fortunate. – SAR rescuers started resuscitation, then it was taken over by the air ambulance crew. (…) The doctor soon confirmed the death of the injured person – spokesman Przemysław Soiński said on Telewizja Polska (TVP3 Szczecin).
Tragedy on the Baltic Sea. “Even a sea current running along the shore can knock over an adult person.”
Many tourists ignore the red flags that are displayed at the seaside. This is a big mistake.
Maciej Zawadzki, head of CESAR, in a conversation with Medonet, drew attention to the way of thinking of many people – they believe that if they only enter the water up to their knees, they are not at risk. That’s not true. – The sea current running along the shore can overturn even an adult person. The waves are also dangerous and may be higher than usual. A person knocked over by a wave may be carried away by the reverse current and quickly move away from the shore, he noted.
What if it is too late and we have landed in the reverse current zone? – Don’t panic or try to swim towards the shore because the current is too strong. It is best to swim parallel to the shore until you get out of the current and then calmly return to land. If you feel tired, you can lie on your back and rest, the expert instructed.
