3 ms·
Lifeguards are sort of a courtesy. You should be the first one responsible for your own safety when going out swimming. I used to swim in rivers with no super
by 21 10y ago
Lifeguards are sort of a courtesy.
You should be the first one responsible for your own safety when going out swimming.
I used to swim in rivers with no supervision, and obviously I needed to be very careful not to get myself into a situation.
- schoen 10y agoI don't think many ocean swimmers know how dangerous the ocean is (to judge from people's accounts here and other times this issue has come up). So many people might not be able to be responsible in the way you suggest. I wonder if there's sometimes a risk compensation problem from the presence of lifeguards -- forms of "I don't need to be so careful, the lifeguard would save me". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Risk_compensation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Risk_compensation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_hazard https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_hazard (less directly applicable, but kinda)
- monk_e_boy 10y agoYou've been downvoted, not sure why. But this is true. Lifeguards mainly tell people not to go in where it is dangerous. Like I said in my previous comment, if you get into trouble it is very hard to see you let alone get out to you and save the day. You are responsible for your own safety. We used to red flag the beach (no one in the water apart from local surfers) then at the end of the day take the flags down and get ready to go home. Every time some idiot would go in for a swim... as if the flag was the thing that made the sea dangerous. If you go in the sea, be prepared.