Muscat: The recent cases of drowning in the Sultanate of Oman have increased the state of alertness of the rescue teams of the Civil Defence and Ambulance Department in various governorates. In this context, the Civil Defence and Ambulance Authority published a statement of Faisal bin Hamed Beit Fadel, a central officer in the Civil Defence in Mirbat and Taqah, about the authority’s efforts in dealing with reports through specialised water rescue teams trained in rescue operations at wadis, dams, ponds, springs, wells and beaches.
He mentioned that, “It is not possible to determine the proportion of the rip current in the cases of drowning in Oman due to the lack of accurate information about the causes of drowning. However, statistics proved that 95 per cent of the drowning cases are caused by the presence of the rip current.”
It is one of the most dangerous natural phenomena that a person can encounter, which can kill both casual and expert swimmers. Simply, this is because a person does not know what to do when he faces this current.
It is strictly forbidden to swim in the sea during this period due to the presence of currents that intensify their strength due to the high waves during Khareef season. The Authority previously called on Dhofar visitors not to swim in the springs, waterfalls and sea, in order to avoid unfortunate drowning accidents. The rescue teams of the Civil Defence and Ambulance Authority dealt with 521 drowning incidents during the year 2021.
Among the painful drowning cases that Oman witnessed in the past period is the drowning of the Asian family of five, including three children, at the Al Mughsail Beach. They were standing right next to the waves crashing into the rocks, and they crossed the area of the separation fence, which led to the high waves crashing into them and their drifting into the sea. Therefore, people must follow the instructions and warnings and stay away from such places.
Drowning is the most common accident, for a reason most people don't know or people don't know how to act. So, people must know that when the person who swims is exposed to the drawing current, they must remain calm because the current will not push them down, but will pull them towards the sea, and must swim parallel to the beach to get away from the current. Then swim towards the beach and the regular waves would push him towards the shore.
The rip current is dangerous, especially if it occurs in shallow water, usually the rip currents are 2-3 metres, and they move at speeds ranging between 4-5 kilometres per hour. This may not be dangerous, but there are streams that are 50 metres wide, 200-400 metres long, and reach speeds of 15 kilometres per hour.
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