KUALA LUMPUR: The number of drowning cases could be reduced if awareness is created on the dangers posed by strong waves and if parents keep a close eye on their children.
Experts interviewed came up with various suggestions, including the use of life jackets at all times.
Steven Wong, St John Ambulance Malaysia senior trainer for aquatic and corporate training for first aid and life saving, said parents should play an important role by creating an awareness of the dangers while swimming and set clear rules on the do's and don'ts when swimming or on the beach.
"Children become excited when they see water and often forget themselves, causing injury or even fracturing parts of their body," he said, adding that most victims drowned in water less than 1.2m.
He said this was not because they could not swim but rather had injured themselves and, therefore, could not swim.
"When children are injured or suffer from cramps, they are unable to swim to safety."
Wong also stressed the importance of learning first aid and encouraged at least one member of each family to have life saving skills.
Malaysian Red Crescent Society (MRCS) first aid services manager Zalikin Idrus said most drowning cases involved children who were very excited to be in the water.
"When they stay too long in the water, their bodies become weak as it continues to fight the cold, and they may not be able to swim."
He said rescuers only had 10 minutes, called the golden hour, to save a victim from drowning. After that, it was almost impossible to save someone.
Zalikin said parents should ensure that their children wear life jackets at all times.
"A life jacket can keep a person afloat for up to 24 hours. It is important that a child wears a life jacket when swimming, regardless of whether he or she knows how to swim," he said, adding that swimming in a pool was different to swimming in a river or sea.
Sunway Swimming head coach James Yap Sin Ming suggested that schoolchildren be compelled to attend swimming lessons in schools and that schools that did not have a pool could have the lessons at nearby pools.
Yap, who has been a swimming coach for the past 24 years, said parents should realise the dangers and not be complacent when their children were in the water.
"Parents don't realise that playing in the water is not always fun and that it takes a very short time to drown," he said, commenting on the recent drowning cases.
Strong waves off the coast of Kota Tinggi, Johor, has claimed four lives in three separate incidents since Sunday.
In Kuantan, Pahang, two brothers, aged 11 and 13, died in Pantai Sepat during a family outing on Sunday, while a 16-year-old teenager drowned in the same area on Monday.
On Jan 1, a family outing at the beach turned tragic for a family of 11 when a man and his son drowned after being swept away by strong waves.
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