Coasts - Safety

1. Safety is extremely important at the coast and emergency life rings are often provided at regular intervals along seafronts.

2. The life rings can be thrown to people who fall into the water, who get into trouble swimming, or whose boats get into trouble.

3. The life ring has a line attached to it so that the person in trouble can be pulled to the rescuer.

4. Swimming in the sea can be dangerous due to waves and currents.

5. These can be a particular danger to people on airbeds, or in dinghies.

6. In order to keep safe when swimming in the sea, it is best to choose a beach where there are lifeguards.

7. People should never to swim when a red flag is flying because this means that it is not sfae to go in the water.

8. When swimming, it is best to stay as near to the shore as possible because of waves and currents.

9. Rip currents are strong currents that can easily take swimmers from shallow water out beyond their depth.

10. Tides can be dangerous and swimmers should always check these before entering the water.

11. It is also important that people visiting the coast do not get cut off by tides when walking along the beach.

12. Lifeguards are employed on some popular beaches to help keep visitors safe.

13. Lifeguards are qualified, strong swimmers who are trained in water rescue.

14. They watch the beach and the sea from tall wooden platforms or from high chairs, often using binoculars.

15. They put flags or signs on the beach so people know where the safe areas are.

16. Lighthouses were often built on, or around, coastlines, near to danger areas.

17. They warned shipping of dangers such as, rocks, reefs or sandbanks.

18. Lighthouses used to be manned by lighthouse keepers, but nowadays they are automated.

19. Beacons, which look like lighthouses, but are far smaller, can often be found at harbour entrances.

20. They are often built on the end of piers so they are in the best location to be seen by ships approaching the harbour.

21. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution is a charity that provides a valuable lifesaving service, for both people and ships.

22. There are over two hundred and thirty RNLI lifeboat stations around the coastline, usually staffed by volunteers.

23. The crew of a lifeboat can be called upon at any time of the day or night.

24. They use two types of lifeboats: all-weather lifeboats, which can right themselves if turned over in rough seas, and inshore lifeboats.

25. The lifeboats range from five metres to seventeen metres in length because different ones are needed for different places.

26. Buoys are brightly-coloured, floating markers that allow ships to navigate safely.

27. They often mark hazards such as shallow waters or submerged rocks.

28. Many buoys marking hazards have flashing coloured lights on them.