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Water Safety Scotland aims to reduce accidental drowning deaths in Scotland by 50 per cent by 2026.

Drowning is among the leading causes of accidental deaths in Scotland. Water Safety Scotland’s main purpose is to understand the risks around water in Scotland and engage with partners to develop a consistent approach to the prevention of water related fatalities.

News Headlines

British man missing after banana boat accident in Portugal – A British man is feared dead after he was reportedly thrown from a banana boat at the Santa Clara Dam in Portugal on Monday.
German lifeguards warn children are drowning as parents increasingly distracted by their mobile phones – Children are being endangered by their parents’ obsession with smartphones, lifeguards in Germany have warned. The German Lifeguard Association (DLRG) has linked a series of recent drownings to parents who were too busy with their mobile phones to keep proper watch over the children.
UK woman rescued 10 hours after falling from cruise ship in Adriatic – A British woman has been rescued after spending 10 hours in the Adriatic Sea at night, having fallen from a cruise ship, according to Croatia’s coastguard.
British man dies in fall on to Ibiza rocks – A British man has died in Ibiza after leaping off a cliff and landing on a rocky outcrop while celebrating his 24th birthday.
Lifeboat volunteer rescues father off coast of Fife – A lifeboat volunteer had an unusual family meeting at sea after being called out to rescue his father. George Hodge had just finished a night shift when he was paged at 06:00 on Saturday to help Anstruther Lifeboat reach a broken down boat off the Fife coast.
Body of man on gorge walking trip pulled from river – The body of a man has been pulled from a river after getting into difficulty in the Highlands. The 35-year-old was on a gorge walking and canyoning trip in the Dundonnell River on Sunday afternoon when others saw him enter the water. An alarm was raised at around 3pm and a large-scale rescue effort was launched involving the Coastguard helicopter, police, fire, Dundonnell mountain rescue team and local Coastguard rescuers.
Man dies after speed boat crash off Essex coast – A man has died after a speed boat towing a water ski collided with a moored sailing boat off the Essex coast.
Body pulled from pond in search for girl, 14 – A body has been pulled from a pond during a search for a 14-year-old girl. Cheshire Police said on Sunday the body was recovered from the stretch of water in Clincton Woods, Widnes, by emergency services looking for a teenager feared to have fallen in.
Mystery over man with dragon-like tattoo rescued from Thames– Police have issued an appeal in an attempt to identify a man with a dragon-like tattoo more than a week after he was rescued from the River Thames. Scotland Yard hopes to trace friends or family of the man, who remains in critical but stable condition, after he was pulled from the river by RNLI lifesavers near London’s Putney Embankment.
International manhunt launched to find 'cowardly' British speedboat owner who killed first date in River Thames crash – A judge has issued an arrest warrant after Jack Shepherd, 30, went on the run and failed to attend his trial at the Old Bailey. He was sentenced to six years in prison in absentia.
Two children drown while on holidays – Two British children died in separate drowning tragedies while on holiday abroad over the weekend. A four-year-old girl died in a swimming pool in Marbella, Spain on Saturday, while a few hours later a five-year-old boy drowned near the resort of Silves in the Algarve, Portugal, in a private villa.
Tourists pose for photographs on edge of cliffs above Birling Gap, despite warnings over risk of cliff falls – Daredevil tourists have been risking selfies on cliff edges just a few miles from the site of a major cliff fall. Warnings were issued to coastal walkers last week after there were three major cliff falls near Seaford Head.
Pier plunge - Woman, 27, fighting for life after falling off pier while looking at rare ‘sea glow’ phenomenon sparked by heatwave - A woman is fighting for her life after plunging from a pier while looking at rare "sea sparkle" phenomenon which turns the water luminous blue.Kirsty Williams-Henry, 27, was hoping to spot pools of bright blue light on the water's surface when she slipped and fell 20ft onto rocks below.
British teen plunges to his death while taking selfie on whale-watching clifftop in Australia – A British teenager has fallen to his death from a popular whale-watching clifftop in Australia after apparently taking a “selfie”. The 18-year-old tourist was standing with friends on rocks at Cape Solander, near Sydney when he lost his balance and plunged 30ft into the sea below.
Wight Sky goes to the aid of two teenagers near the entrance to the Lymington River - A Hampshire ferry crew rescued two teenagers who were thrown into the Solent when their dinghy capsized.
Jet skiers save life of exhausted man found clinging to a buoy off Sandbanks beach – A group of jet skiers saved the life of an elderly swimmer who was found exhausted clinging to a buoy 200 meters off Sandbanks Beach, the RNLI says.
British teen dies in holiday boat tragedy – A British schoolboy has died after he apparently fell out of a speedboat while on a family holiday in Greece. The 15-year-old was said to have been hit by the boat’s propeller.
Family rescued from mudflats on Somerset beach – A family has been rescued from beach mudflats after struggling to try and reach the sea at low tide. Four adults and a child were wading through "sticky mud" at Weston-super-Mare as the tide was turning on Sunday.
Woman's body recovered from sea by kayaker off Cornwall – Witnesses reported seeing the woman "in difficulty" just before 11:00 BST on Saturday off Porthleven, on the south coast of Cornwall. The Coastguard said she was brought ashore by a kayaker before being airlifted to the Royal Cornwall Hospital at Truro.
Swimmer dies after being rescued from sea in Swansea – Both Mumbles lifeboats and a rescue helicopter were launched on Saturday evening, after Mumbles coastguard were alerted to a missing swimmer last seen near the west pier.
Residents who clubbed together to buy their own 12-foot community paddling pool for young children are told to remove it - so burglars don't drown – A group of neighbours have been told to take down their communal paddling pool in case a burglar drowns in it overnight.
'Urban explorers' pulled from Northampton sewer – Three young boys were rescued from sewers after a search by the police, fire and ambulance services. The friends had been "urban exploring" in Northampton when they got lost and called for help on Monday evening.
Tourist swept out to sea on lilo reveals 21-hour horror of hypothermia, extreme sunburn and shark fears – A tourist swept out to sea on a lilo in Crete has revealed her horrific 21-hour ordeal of hypothermia, extreme sunburn and a terrifying storm.
Jan Moir: I fear elf 'n' safety would have stopped a cave rescue in this country – In a feature in the Daily Mail, Jan Moir questions whether the “elf ‘n’ safety” culture of the UK would have prevented a cave rescue on our shores, similar to the one conducted in Thailand. She cites a number of incidents in which rescue workers have been prevented from saving lives, such as one in which a policeman and paramedic were stopped from entering a 3ft-deep lake as they had no protective equipment.
Warning over inflatables at the beach – The lifeboat service is calling for people to be careful with inflatables after they were called out four times in eight days to them being blown off shore on the east coast.
UK heatwave: Police Scotland issues open water warning – Police are highlighting the dangers of open water as Scotland heads into another warm weekend.
Tributes paid to student who drowned in Loch Lomond – The body of the 25-year-old was recovered from the water on Thursday morning
Swimmer crosses the Minch amid rescue drama – A woman became the first person to swim from the Western Isles to the Scottish mainland as one of her fellow swimmers had to be rescued from the Minch
Tragedy of Brave Owais – Dad was fingertips away from rescuing hero son who drowned in Loch Lomond after saving big sister’s life

Instagram thrill-seekers die in pool – Three Canadians who travelled the world have died after being swept down a 100ft waterfall in British Columbia
Country park lake death –A 16-year-old boy died after getting into difficulty in a lake in Nottingham
RSPCA inspector swept out to sea – An open verdict has been recorded at the inquest into the death of an RSPCA inspector who was swept out to sea while trying to rescue birds stranded in a storm
Inflatable unicorn woes – Warnings to beachgoers not to take to the sea on inflatable unicorns, flamingos or swans after 15 people were rescued along the south coast in just one evening
Boys discovered alive after nine days in flooded cave – A team of 12 young boys and their football coach were discovered alive yesterday after being trapped deep inside a flooded Thai cave for nine days
Boy dies in lake – A 17 year old boy has died while swimming in the Aire, in Leeds

Five found dead at cliffs – A number of bodies have been found at the foot of cliffs at Beachy Head in just one week
Father calls for water safety campaign – A father, whose son drowned in the river Clyde, is planning to take his water safety campaign to the Scottish Parliament
Kayaker drowned under a fallen tree - A kayaker died after becoming stuck under the branch of a fallen tree, an inquest heard
Man dies in flash floods – An 80-year-old man has died in flash floods in the Midlands
Missing British man found dead – A British man who went missing in Columbia has been found at the foot of a waterfall
Boy survives underwater for eight minutes – A boy survived being under water for almost eight minutes after getting stuck in a swimming pool vent
Body of missing man found – the body of a Scottish man who went missing on a stag-do in Hamburg has been found in a river.
Boy, 3, drowns in swimming pool – a three-year-old boy has drowned in a swimming pool in Leeds.
Girl drowns – a five year old drowned at Durdle Door beauty spot in Dorset
Diver drowns in deepest lake – a man has drowned whilst diving in England’s deepest lake
Two-year-old drowns – a two-year-old girl died when the car she was in rolled into a river near Cardigan Castle, Wales.
Drowning in Caribbean – a British man has drowned while swimming on the Caribbean island of Anguilla.
Boy drowned in swimming pool with no lifeguards – a boy drowned in a swimming pool with no lifeguards in Lanzarote, an inquest heard.
Angler dies – an angler died after falling into the sea in Tinagel.
Man saved from drowning – Ferry staff saved a man from drowning.
Mother supports Drowning Prevention Strategy – Gillian Barclay helped launch Scotland’s Drowning Prevention Strategy.
Advert pulled after drowning fear – a Birds Eye advert has been pulled amid drowning fears.
Drone rescues swimmers – a drone rescued teenage swimmers in Australia
Man dies in icy river – a soldier has died from cardiac arrest after falling into an icy river while canoeing on the River Dee.
Boy drowned saving friend – a 12-year-old boy drowned while trying to save his friend, an inquest heard. The incident happened at Beeston weir on the River Trent in Nottinghamshire.
Man and dog rescued – a man and his dog were rescued after being pulled into the water during a storm at Mullion Harbour off the coast of Cornwall.
T eacher dies kayaking – A young teacher has died kayaking on the River Dart in Devon
Schoolboy rescued– A schoolboy was rescued from an icy river by his friend
British woman dies in Thailand – A woman died after a boat capsized in Thailand, an inquest hears
Body found in river – The body of a man has been recovered from the River Severn near Shrewsbury Weir
Woman rescued with no life jacket – A woman was “lucky to be alive” after being rescued with no life jacket
Sailor swept overboard – A UK sailor died after being swept overboard during a race
Mother dies in boat crash – A British mother has died in a boat crash In France
Snorkeler killed in accident – A snorkeler has died after being hit by a boat propeller in Malaysia
Teacher dies abroad - A 28-year-old teacher has died after diving into shallow water
Fisherman dies – A fisherman died and two crewmen were rescued after their fishing boat capsized in Plymouth Harbour, Devon.
Boy rushed to hospital – A two-year-old British boy was rushed to hospital after being found face-down in a hotel swimming pool in Mallorca
NHS issues an apology – Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust apologised for the death of an epileptic teenager who drowned in a bath
Groom saves boy – A Groom rescued a boy from a lake during posing for his wedding photographs in Ontario, Canada
Toddler in critical condition – A British toddler is in critical condition after falling into a swimming pool in a complex in Spain.
Boy rescued from water – A young boy was rescued from water near Gairloch.
Triathlete dies swimming – A British triathlete died attempting to cross the British Channel.
Man rescued from toy dingy – A man was rescued by the RNLI after drifting a mile out to sea in a toy dingy.
Divers drown – Two men drowned while diving for shellfish in the Western Isles.
Girl, 7, drowns - A-seven-year-old girl drowned at her birthday pool party, in Norfolk.
Prominent philosopher drowns – A French risk advocate drowned while trying to rescue two children in St Tropez.
Man drowns in lake - A British man has drowned in a lake in Italy.
Fears over swimming ability – A report finds that one in three primary school leavers cannot swim.
Human chain created to save family – A human chain was created to save a drowning family caught in a riptide in the Gulf of Mexico.
Boy drowns trying to save girl – A boy died trying to help a girl who got into difficulties in a marina.
Misadventure verdict in Camber Sands drownings – A coroner has concluded that the deaths of seven men, who drowned at Camber Sands, were due to misadventure.
Swimmers died during heatwave – Three swimmers died during the recent heatwave after getting into difficulty in open water.
Runner drowned in canal – A man drowned after falling into a canal while out jogging.
Policeman drowned – A British police officer drowned after running into the sea off Brighton beach.
Shark attack – A British surfer was attacked by a shark off the coast of Devon.
Girl almost drowns – A six-year-old girl almost drowned after her hair got stuck in a swimming pool filter in Lanzarote.
Clare Adamson raises question in Parliament – Clare Adamson MSP asked the Scottish Government how it promotes safe recreational water activity.
19-year-old man dies in river – A man died after getting into difficulty at a waterfall on the River Swale in North Yorkshire.
Boy, 3, dies in swimming pool accident – A boy has died following a swimming pool accident in the Costa Blanca, Spain.
NHS trust to be prosecuted – Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust is to be prosecuted after an 18-year-old patient drowned at one of its specialist facilities while suffering an epileptic seizure.
Two men found dead – Two men have been found dead in the Irish Sea after their speedboat went missing.
Jet skier dies – A man died at Loch Lomond after falling off a jet ski.
Children rescued – Former England footballer James Beattie rescued two children after their yacht collided with a ferry in Poole Harbour.
Firefighter saves girl – A firefighter saved a toddler’s life while on his honeymoon in Dubai.
Mother recalls drowning tragedy – Gillian Barclay spoke in honour of her 18-year-old son at RoSPA’s Water Safety Conference.
Drowning man saved – A policeman saved a football fan who had fallen into the River Trent
Two-year-old boy drowns – A two-year-old boy drowned in the River Ericht in Perthshire.
Man rescued – A man was rescued from Eastbourne Pier after he jumped into the water and began to show signs of cold water shock.
British tourist drowns – A British woman has drowned while snorkelling with friends off the Cambodian island of Koh Rang.
Man drowns – A dog tried to rescue its owner after he fell into a stream and drowned in Slough.
Man dies on holiday – A British man has died after falling off a breakwater at a beach in Costa Del Sol.
Man rescued trying to save dog – A man has been rescued after jumping into the river Blyth, in Suffolk, to save his dog.
Boy found dead in lake – A 16–year-old-boy was found dead in a lake in Kent.
Teen drowns off Thai island – A 19-year-old girl drowned off Koh Chang beach, Thailand, while on a dream holiday, an inquest heard.
Woman dies on holiday A woman died after being rescued off the coast of Cornwall.
Inquest into young man’s death – An inquest into the drowning of a promising cricketer heard how he was urged to join friends in the River Avon near Bath in Somerset, despite telling them he could not swim.
British father dies after getting caught in a riptide –A British man died after getting caught in a riptide while snorkelling in Australia.
19-year-old-boy found in River Avon – A boy whose body was found in the River Avon in Bath, Somerset, is believed to have been kicked out of a club after trying to stop a fight.
Woman dies in sea – A woman has died after being rescued from the sea near Folkestone
Crew rescued – Helicopters airlifted 11 crew members from a cargo ship during Storm Angus
Public safety measures to be investigated – A coroner is to investigate how safety could be improved at Camber Sands where seven people died this summer.
B&B well death fall – A woman drowned after she fell into a well in Gloucestershire
Vandals stole safety signs – vandals stole safety signs days before two teenagers drowned
Lifeguards "did not save" tourist – a woman died after struggling in the water in Spain, with an inquest hearing that lifeguards ignored pleas for help
Diver dies and two injured – a man has died and two others were injured after diving off the coast of Cornwall
Boy dies in river – the body of a 14-year-old boy was found in the River Erewash, Nottingham
Man drowns in a rescue attempt – a man drowned trying to rescue his partner's daughter whilst they were scuba diving
Fifteen-year-old boy drowns – a 15-year-old boy drowned in the River Thames after getting tangled in weeds
Campaigners call for swimming lessons – there were calls for swimming lessons to be made compulsory in Scotland after a spate of drownings across the UK
Five dead at Camber Sands – Five men were pulled dead from the sea at Camber Sands, East Sussex

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