Don’t think you’re a good enough swimmer
B.C. report on drowning cautions against overestimating ability
VANCOUVER — British Columbia’s power authority has released a survey showing most people overestimate their swimming ability and may be more at risk of drowning.
BC Hydro manages 19 recreation areas including parks and beaches near power-generating dam sites that draw two million visitors annually, but more people are expected this year as vacationers stay near home.
The survey conducted June 18 to 22 included 600 people and shows 85 per cent of respondents rated themselves as experienced swimmers though most do not swim often.
Hydro says the results suggest some people are not as prepared as they would like to think when they’re swimming in reservoirs, so it’s best to avoid a false sense of security.
Only 63 per cent of respondents, aged 18 to 65, said they go swimming a few times each summer and 10 per cent of them indicate they’ve never had any swimming lessons.
Hydro says a lack of practice in the water could be why almost 30 per cent of survey respondents reported they have had a near drowning experience and 53 per cent had seen someone in the water in distress.
“Overestimating your swimming abilities, using drugs or alcohol, swimming in non-designated areas and not keeping a constant eye on children are the most significant factors in drowning incidents,” Hydro says in a report.
It says two drownings occurred in 2018 at Buntzen Lake, its most popular recreation site, which gets 700,000 visitors every year.
“The drownings were the first in over a decade,” the report says of the reservoir in Port Moody.
It says most BC Hydro recreation sites are located on or near reservoirs that hold the water behind dams but water levels can change quickly in response to power demand.
“Swimming in an uncontrolled environment such as a lake or river is much more dangerous than in a controlled environment, such as a pool, because of the currents, sudden temperature changes and drop points, and unpredictable weather.”