Water-based recreation (e.g., swimming, rowing, diving, sailing, or the various types of surfing) is perceived as a universal and joyful form of physical activity. But, is it safe as well? The foundation of this study lies in the pedagogical belief that people can undergo an educational change to shape their behavior and modify their attitudes. It was aimed to demonstrate the process of education in safety, as being consistently logical actions and decisions to minimize the effects of risk. These educational activities are referred to as risk management. Education in water safety should be initiated to identify and raise awareness of the hazards present in this environment. Further account should be taken as to the risks associated with specific actions in the water, and how to conduct oneself in the event of an emergency. The following strategies are of possible use: risk avoidance, coping with risk, risk transfer, risk compensation, and planning. Water-based leisure activities are very popular. Long and short holidays by the water are chosen by almost 60% of Poles according to a survey (http://www.intur. com.pl). On a hot summer day, there is no better place to spend time than by the water. Recreational swimming in open water during the summer season provides a much greater variety of aquatic experiences compared with those presented by indoor swimming pools throughout the year. Water encourages recreational swimming, diving, sailing, surfing, rowing, and other activities. Natural water environments are rich in physical and biological stimuli for swimmers which can improve their adaptive skills, endurance fitness levels, and even protection against disease. Some even suggest that regular swimming may be a cure-all of sorts for many different ailments. But, most importantly, it can prevent several health problems such as coronary heart disease and obesity from arising in the first place (Wiesner, 1999, 2003; Czabański, Fiłon, and Zatoń, 2003). We may assume that many people perceive water as an environment in which they can engage in pleasant physical activity, but is it safe? Statistics show that different types of water activities entail real risks. The chances of incurring consequence such as injury and death from risky activity in water are readily observable from data collected
Within the administrative boundaries of Olsztyn, there are 16 lakes and several artificial swimming facilities. They provide attractive conditions for water recreation and water sports. But are these conditions completely safe? The aim of the study is to get familiar with the safety conditions of water reservoirs in Olsztyn in terms of opportunities for water recreation. In order to solve the addressed problem, the analysis of source materials has been performed, the field research has been conducted and the survey has been applied. The outcome of the research includes the description of the recreational value of these water reservoirs, the identification of potential threats (internal and external) and the evaluation of logistic and emergency protection.
In relation to EU countries, the level of safety on Polish waters is still low. The drowning rate in our country is two times higher. Since 2013, there has even been an increase in the number of drownings. Typically, following each incident, attention is focused on the quality of work of the rescue services, however, there are multiple factors to be considered when seeking where responsibility for this state of affairs actually lies. In contemplations, the main subjects of analysis were external threats (atmospheric conditions, legal conditions, trends in water recreation) and threats generated by various groups of waterrelated subjects (administrators, service providers, rescuers, cleaning and medical services, participants enjoying recreation on or in the water). The purpose of this article is to present the issues of water safety from the perspective of the responsibility of various subjects, which are active in this environment. The attractiveness of recreation in or on water results largely from the emotions caused by increased risk. Often the greater the danger, the greater the attraction. At the same time, it is accompanied by an increased sense of security, excessive self-confidence and excessive trust, which weakens the natural defense mechanism. Hence, so many accidents in the water are caused by the victims themselves. In the article we are looking for an answer to the question about the reasons for such a phenomenon.
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