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Water-Related Injuries

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Boating

Boating

in death. Alcohol use was the leading known contributing factor in fatal boating accidents and was identified in 23 percent of the deaths. Other contributing factors included operator inattention, improper lookout, operator inexperience and excessive speed.61

If an emergency occurs during offshore sailing, it is important to have some means of communication with other vessels or the shore to alert rescuers. Sometimes it is impossible to establish a connection, however, reducing the chance of rescue. In such cases, survival at sea depends on many factors, and any search and rescue must start as soon as possible. Many boaters file “float plans” just as pilots file flight plans. Float plans are not filed with the Coast Guard or its equivalent in other countries but rather with a friend or relative so that person knows where to start searching if anything should happen while a boat is at sea.

Boaters must be well prepared and equipped for a range of medical emergencies. DAN offers a suite of first aid courses and a variety of medical kits appropriate for boating. For offshore sailing, boaters must meet international regulations as well as country-specific requirements at all their ports of call and at their final destination. For more information, call DAN (+1-919-684-2948) or a boating organization.

Rank Cause of Death Number of Deaths

1 Drowning 439 2 Trauma 92 3 Cardiac arrest 17 4 Carbon monoxide 5 5 Hypothermia 4 Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Coast Guard60

Table 11. Causes of Death Among U.S. Recreational Boaters, 2019

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Contents of a Float Plan

• WHERE the boat is launching and its proposed route • WHEN it will leave and return • WHO is aboard

When boaters return to their home port, they should notify the person with whom they filed their float plan.

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BEACHGOING

Despite their often pristine look, beaches can harbor several health hazards—especially those that are popular, in densely populated areas or in developing countries. Walking barefoot on a beach, for example, may expose you to injuries from washed-ashore debris, needles used by drug addicts, pet waste, and parasitic, bacterial or viral infections.

Swimming may present other hazards. Water pollution typically increases after big rains due to sewage backups and spills into coastal waters, leading to increased concentrations of disease-causing bacteria that may be swallowed with seawater. Many viruses, bacteria and other microbes can survive for some time in seawater, so avoid swimming after a big rain. There’s no guarantee that clear-looking water is sanitary, but the risks are more significant if the water looks murky.

The spectrum of possible swimming diseases includes hepatitis, diarrhea, Legionnaire’s disease, swimmer’s ear, Vibrio vulnificus, conjunctivitis and even methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Soft-tissue infections with Vibrio vulnificus are also possible and can be fatal in certain cases.

If you plan to spend time at a beach, especially if you plan to swim, visit the CDC’s Healthy Swimming website at cdc.gov/healthywater/swimming to learn about the germs where we swim, how these germs could make us

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sick and how to protect yourself and others. The website also provides the following information: • Health benefits of water-based exercise: Did you know swimming can improve your health—and your mood? • How to swim healthy: Learn how to protect yourself and others before getting in the water. • Recreational water illnesses: Did you know chlorine and other disinfectants don’t instantly kill all germs? • Drowning, injury and sun protection: Understand how to avoid injuries. • Oceans, lakes and rivers: Learn how to stay healthy when visiting natural bodies of water.

MARINE ANIMAL INJURIES

The sea is filled with creatures that may appear harmless, but some are capable of wounding, poisoning or even killing an unlucky swimmer or diver. Despite the extreme rarity of serious shark attacks, the shark is the most well-known of marine perils. Far more common but less well-known are tiny animals armed with both defensive and offensive weapons that are potent enough to cause human injury. The best protection against such injuries is a healthy respect for these animals. When in doubt, keep your distance.

Most marine animal injuries are the result of a chance encounter (such as swimming inadvertently into a jellyfish) or a defensive maneuver by the animal (such as a stingray wound). Injuries are rarely due to aggressive action on the animal’s part. Marine animals are generally harmless unless they’re either deliberately or accidentally threatened or disturbed. When wounds occur, they share many common characteristics despite differing in type and severity. Such wounds are nearly always contaminated with bacteria, frequently with foreign bodies and occasionally with venom.

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