Sun, water and the outdoor risks

Water and sun are the environmental hazards travellers most consistently underestimate, and both cause substantial harm annually.

Drowning

Among the leading causes of death among travellers, particularly younger ones.

The contributing factors are consistent across incident data.

Unfamiliar water. Currents, depth, temperature and underwater hazards that a local swimmer would know about.

Absence of supervision. Many beaches worldwide have no lifeguard, and visitors accustomed to supervised swimming do not register the difference.

Alcohol, which features in a very large share of drowning incidents involving adults.

Overestimating ability, since swimming in a pool is not the same as swimming in open water.

Rip currents, which are the most common cause of beach rescues and which are not obvious to an untrained eye.

Rip currents specifically

Worth understanding because the response is counterintuitive.

A rip is a narrow current flowing away from shore, and swimming directly against it exhausts even strong swimmers.

The guidance generally given is to remain calm, float, and either swim parallel to the shore to exit the current or allow it to carry you until it weakens before swimming back at an angle.

The indicators of a rip: a channel of darker, calmer-looking water between areas of breaking waves, and a line of foam or debris moving seaward.

Ironically the calm-looking water is generally where the rip is, which is why untrained swimmers enter it.

Practical water safety

Swim at supervised beaches where available, and between any marked flags.

Ask locally about conditions before entering unfamiliar water.

Do not swim alone.

Do not swim after drinking.

Check for hazards specific to the location — jellyfish seasons, crocodiles in some regions, sea urchins, sharp coral, strong tides and cold water shock.

And be aware that river and lake swimming carries its own hazards including cold water, currents and submerged obstacles.

Sun exposure

Which causes immediate harm through burning and long-term harm through cumulative damage.

Exposure is higher than travellers expect at altitude, near water and snow, and closer to the equator, and it occurs on overcast days.

The measures, in order of effectiveness.

Shade and timing, avoiding direct exposure during the hours of peak intensity, which in tropical locations is a substantial part of the day.

Clothing, which is more reliable than sunscreen and does not need reapplying.

A hat with a brim, which protects the areas most commonly burned.

Sunscreen, applied in adequate quantity and reapplied, particularly after swimming.

Most people apply substantially less than the amount on which the stated protection is based.

Eye protection, which matters at altitude and on water and snow, where reflected ultraviolet can damage the cornea.

Heat, and the interaction

Discussed elsewhere on this site and worth connecting here.

Sun exposure and heat combine, and a day at a beach involves both alongside physical activity and frequently alcohol.

Which is the combination behind a substantial share of holiday medical incidents.

The practical response is the one local people already follow: shade during the hottest hours, substantial fluid intake, and activity in the morning and late afternoon.

The specific reef consideration

A note for anyone swimming near coral.

Several jurisdictions have restricted certain sunscreen ingredients on evidence of harm to coral, and reef-safe formulations are widely available.

Physical protection — a rash vest or long sleeves — addresses both the sun and the reef question simultaneously and is what most people who spend time in the water actually use.

Children and water

Where the risk is highest and the supervision most often lapses.

Drowning is a leading cause of death in young children, and holiday settings — unfamiliar pools, beaches, boats — combine several risk factors at once.

The measures are specific: designated adult supervision with no other task, physical barriers around pools where possible, appropriate flotation aids rather than inflatable toys, and awareness that drowning is generally silent rather than noisy.

Boats and equipment hire

A category worth treating carefully.

Boat, jet ski and equipment hire in tourist areas is variably regulated, and safety equipment, insurance and operator competence differ enormously.

Checking that lifejackets are provided and worn, that the operator is licensed, and that your insurance covers the activity is worth doing before rather than after.

Several travel insurance policies exclude motorised water sports entirely.

General information about travel, not medical or safety advice. Consult local sources about water conditions and a qualified clinician about sun protection and skin health.