Open water swimming presents serious risks if a swimmer(s) gets into difficulty.
THIS CANNOT BE UNDERESTIMATED!
Could you carry out a rescue by dragging a person 500 meters to shore, ring for help and then carry out CPR?
All club organised open water swims will be run by the club Open Water Swim Coach and should always have an open water lifeguard/coach present in the water to aid swimmers in the event of an unforeseen situation.
The following locations are in the process of been risk assessed by the club and are suitable for open water swimming sessions:
- Bertra Beach - Between the LifeGuard flags.
- Quay bay in front of the towers, entry and exit from the ramp at the bottom of the boat park.
- Ayle Lake - Entry and exit point from the slipway.
New locations can be added to this list but they must be risk assessed and passed by the executive committee in advance.
We do not advise members to swim in any other locations around Westport unless you have previous experience of swimming at that location and have local knowledge.
The following guidelines should be adhered to by all club members for their safety and the safety of those who might be rescuing them at a club swim organised via any club communication channel including the club Whats App group:
- Each member must have a flotation buoy attached before entering the water.
- Swimmers of similar ability should swim together. Inexperienced or unfit open water swimmers should nominate a buddy to swim with and should not separate from each other while in the water. Never allow anyone to swim alone.
- A head count should be done on entering and exiting the water.
- Swimmers must start based on ability, slow off first, fast off last.
- Only club members can take part in a club open water training session. There are no club try-outs for open water swimming with the club unless specifically agreed in advance with the coach/lifeguard leading the class. If no coach/lifeguard is present, then non-member should not swim with the group.
- Don’t swim just after eating.
- Don't swim inside of shipping lanes (like in Rosmoney or Old Head), you may impede a rescue or get run over.
- Make sure you know where you are going to exit the water.
- If you leave a session, your buddy must exit the water with you and you must notify the coach that you have left early.
- And finally if you organise a swim session via Whats App it is your responsibility to get everyone who attends to fill out the club session waiver form (Download here).
Impromptu training sessions can be organised via the club Whats App group. If you want to organise an impromptu swim session then you, the session organiser should ensure that 10 guidelines above are adhered too and that he following sheets are filled out and returned to the club Safety Officer Mary Walsh after the session.
(Sign-in forms should be used at every and any type of training session. This a requirement of Triathlon Ireland. Please contact: orla@triathlonireland.com if you have any questions.)
Updated by: John Lenehan 19/10/2018