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.
Statistics proved that 95 per cent of drowning cases in Oman are caused by the presence of the rip current in the sea. It is one of the most dangerous natural phenomena that a person can encounter, which can kill both casual and expert swimmers.
Experts at Civil Defence and Ambulance Authority said 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.
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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