{"id":6579,"date":"2020-11-11T12:46:55","date_gmt":"2020-11-11T12:46:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sportsnewsforyou.com\/?p=6579"},"modified":"2020-11-11T12:46:55","modified_gmt":"2020-11-11T12:46:55","slug":"can-you-go-open-water-swimming-in-england","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/?p=6579","title":{"rendered":"Can you go open-water swimming in England?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here is the statement, which includes a link to their in-depth guidance document for swimmers, from Swim England, BTF and the Royal Life Saving Society UK:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The aim is to help prevent swimmers from getting into difficulties in open water \u2013 especially as the majority of locations will not have lifeguards \u2013 and putting extra pressure on already stretched emergency services.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0COVID-19 Guidance to Open Water Swimmers\u00a0is being hosted on the\u00a0SH2OUT website\u00a0and includes:<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Information on where to swim and accredited venues
\nSix key steps to consider before going on an open water swim at unsupervised locations
\nAssessing risk due to weather conditions and water temperature
\nAdvice on wetsuits and equipment
\nCourse planning and the safe entry and exit of the water
\nPlus, recovery and nutrition.<\/p>\n

Jane Nickerson, Swim England Chief Executive, said: \u201cIt\u2019s imperative that even the most seasoned of open water swimmers reads through this advice and follows it carefully.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot knowing the temperature of the water or how strong the current is could lead to swimmers struggling and in need of emergency help.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s something we\u2019re keen to avoid at all times but even more so in the current situation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re pleased to have worked so closely with British Triathlon and RLSS UK on this guidance to ensure our members can enjoy the beauty of our natural surroundings safely.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andy Salmon, Chief Executive of British Triathlon, said: \u201cWe would encourage anyone considering open water swimming over the coming weeks to think before doing so and read our advice very carefully.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring these unprecedented times, it is vital that we think of others before ourselves and make sure we neither risk the spreading of the Covid-19 virus or place unnecessary burden on emergency services.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cWe would also urge swimmers to comply with government guidance on social distance and travel.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRoyal Life Saving Society UK Chief Executive Robert Gofton said: \u2018We are extremely concerned that people will now rush to get into open water without proceeding with caution and understanding the potential life-threatening implications.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you are not used to swimming in open water, we strongly urge you NOT to start now unless you can do so under supervision and guidance.<\/p>\n

\u201cOpen water sites, including beaches, are not currently supervised. There is no one to help you if you get in trouble and emergency services may not be able to get to you in time.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease stay sensible, know your limitations, and please enjoy the water, safely.\u201d<\/p>\n

The RNLI has warned that there are currently no lifeguards on beaches and anyone who goes sea swimming must \u201cunderstand the risks and take the necessary steps to keep themselves safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the three organisations are also due to publish advice for venues on the safest way to operate in line with social distancing measures in the near future.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThey are also encouraging people to use facilities as close to where they live as possible.<\/p>\n

This advice is for England only and aimed at individual swimmers as club activity is not currently permitted under the Government guidelines.\u201d<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

How to restart your swim training when lockdown eases<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here is the statement, which includes a link to their in-depth guidance document for swimmers, from Swim England, BTF and the Royal Life Saving Society UK: Advertisement The aim is to help prevent swimmers from getting into difficulties in open water \u2013 especially as the majority of locations will not have lifeguards \u2013 and putting…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6579","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6579","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6579"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6579\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6579"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6579"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6579"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}