After at least 22 drowning in Quebec since the beginning of the year, including two in Verdun Beach of Montreal in recent weeks, Quebec’s salvation society is renewing its calls for caution.
“Follow the instructions, that way you will have stories to tell instead of tragedies to inflict your loved ones,” said executive director Raynald Hawkins.
Recreational and sports swimming are the main causes of the approximately 80 drowned In Quebec every year. And in half of those cases, the The person is alone when It happens, he said.
That’s why you should never swim alone, he said. That way, if there is a problem, someone can call 911 or try a ransom.
It is also crucial that people do not exceed their swimming capacity, he said.
Adam Di Fulvio, founder of the Montreal Swimming Institute, said people should do a security evaluation when they are close to water. That means verifying the life vests, if there is a life lifeguard, how fast the water moves, everything to consider regardless of its swimming capacity, he said.
“Take into account the risks,” he said. “Many people think they drowns others, but it happens to everyone.”
Use a life jacket in non -supervised areas
When leaving the supervised swimming areas or in a river with a current, Hawkins recommends using a life vest.
In a place like Verdun Beach, Hawkins said swimmers must remain within the designated swimming zone.
“As soon as you cross that line, there are definitely currents,” he said. “The moment you go beyond the swimming area, you risk.”
Hawkins said that, when the city of Montreal established the beach, he conducted hydrographic studies to ensure that the area would be protected from the currents.
“But the fact is still, you are in the river. So, of course, it is current,” he said.
Hawkins said that even if the surface of the water looks calm, there may be strong currents, vortices and down underneath.
Falls represent 25% of drowning
With climate change in mind, Hawkins said he believes that water supervision should begin at the beginning of the season.
At the time of the first death in Verdun Beach on June 7, the beach had not yet opened and, therefore, was not supervised.
But at the time of the second death, on Monday, the beach was open and supervised.
“A young man lost his life in the river, again, outside the supervised swimming zone in Verdun Beach,” said the mayor of the Marie-Andrée Mauger group, expressing her condolences on Facebook to the victim’s family and friends.
“Outside the supervised swimming area, the river is very dangerous and the swimming conditions are very risky due to strong currents, variable depths and an unequal position.”
According to the 2024 report of Quebec Lifesaving Society on drowning, 76 percent of victims are men. The report says that 25 percent of drowning occur, while people do not participate in a water activity, but fall while walking, walking or working. Di Fulvio said that this is the reason why people should always be thinking about security when it is close to water, not only when they plan to navigate or swim.
The rivers are where people drown more, representing 35 percent of cases, while less than one percent occur in supervised swimming areas.
Di Fulvio said men in the age group of 25 to 50 years They are often among the victims: alcohol is often involved, as well as being alone and not having a life jacket. He said that rivers often affirm lives because water moves faster than people realize.
“People are trapped in the current. They move away. They get tired and water takes them,” he said.
