跳下水之前，這些安全意識你有嗎？——自然水域游泳守則

Open water swimming: how to stay safe

露天游泳如何確保安全？

Taking the plunge in open water can be dangerous but there are ways to minimise the risks, Kate Rew, the founder of the Outdoor Swimming Society, tells us.
在自然水域游泳戲水往往是很危險的，但是如果我們有一定的常識就可以減小這些危險性。戶外游泳協會的創始人凱特.德魯告訴我們。

Rew was speaking as news emerged that at least 17 Britons had lost their lives as a result of swimming in quarries and other open water spots during the current heatwave.
德魯女士告訴我們，炎熱的天氣，人們喜歡前往自然水域游泳，根據最新數據，最近已經有17個英國人因爲到自然水域游泳而溺水死亡。

And it followed a spate of warnings about the dangers of open water swimming issued by police and the Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS).
這些事故發生以後，警察局和皇家救生協會向市民們發出一連串的警告，警示市民在自然水域游泳應該注意人生安全。

Rew urged all those wishing to take the plunge in outdoor swim spots to follow clear safety guidelines and make sure they were informed about the places they wanted to swim in.
德魯女士呼籲所有喜歡到自然水域游泳戲水的人必須遵循游泳安全指導，確保所去的水域是允許游泳的安全水域。

But she said that with water temperatures much warmer than usual, this was a wonderful time to explore Britain's many lakes, rivers and the sea."Like many sports such as hiking and snowboarding, open water swimming carries risks, but there are many ways in which these can be minimised," Rew said.
德魯女士表示，夏季氣溫升高，在英國的自然湖泊、河流或是大海里游泳是很美好的。“和其他戶外活動，比如徒步、滑雪一樣，在自然水域游泳也是有一定危險性的，但是隻要我們遵循一些基本常識，就可以將危險最小化。”

"With swimming there are tides and currents and water temperatures that have to be considered and you have to learn about your ability to function with those things."
“自然水域有很多特質，比如潮汐的漲落、水流的急緩以及水溫的高低。這些特質你必須知曉，同時要知道自己是否有能力駕馭自然水域的這些特質。”

"Like many other sports, open water swimming can be done on different levels. There are safe ways of doing it that entail no more danger than swimming in an outdoor swimming pool."
“和其它運動一樣，在自然水域游泳可以分不同等級，只要把握好自己的尺度，在自然水域游泳也可以很安全，甚至比在游泳池裏更安全。”

Rew had the following advice for would-be open water swimmers:
德魯女士爲想去自然水域裏享受清涼的人們提出幾點建議：

* Don’t swim when drunk
*醉酒不能下水游泳

* Don’t jump in without knowing depth of water
*不能再不知道深淺的水域裏跳水

* Make sure you know about currents
*明確水流的湍急與否後下水

* Find out about the swimming place before you get in – both by speaking with people who live locally and checking the Outdoor Swimming Society map
*對你所去的水域先行了解，再下水——可以向當地人打聽或是查看可游泳自然水域分佈圖

* Before going into the water, make sure you know where you are going to get out
下水前先明確你要從什麼地方起水

* Swim close to the shore
沿着岸邊游泳

* Swim with someone else
有同伴伴隨

* Start off swimming modest distances and then build up
先在淺水區游泳，慢慢進入深水區

Rew said that a lot of difficulties associated with open water swimming came about because water temperatures in lakes, rivers and the sea tended to be considerably lower than in heated swimming pools.
德魯女士強調，自然水域游泳出現的問題往往是因爲在自然湖泊、河流和大海里，水溫通常會比人工加熱的游泳池低。

"Plenty of people don't appreciate that when the water is cold the blood rushes to the core and at a certain point your arms and legs become useless and you can't swim out of danger. That can cause deaths."
“很多人不明白這一點，因爲下水後，水溫太低，你的血液會迅速回流到心臟，這時候，手臂和腿會因爲供血不足而無法控制，這樣會很危險，可能造成死亡。”

"Even when the water is relatively warm, such as now, it can still be colder than that in heated swimming pools and people who are not used to it can still find it slightly shocking."
“也許你覺得自然水域的水很暖和了，其實溫度相對人工加熱的游泳池還是很低的，所以，下水時，你還是會會覺得不適應。”

Open water – or wild swimming as it is also known - has surged in popularity as more and more Britons want to reconnect with nature and swim in beautiful settings free from the constraints of indoor chlorine-filled swimming pools.
願意在自然水域暢遊的人越來越多，相比在受約束的充滿氯氣的人工游泳池，英國人更願意在無拘無束的自然水域享受一絲清涼。

Not only is it invigorating and inspiring, done with due caution, it is good for you – as the Prime Minister David Cameron demonstrated last month when ahead of the G8 summit in Northern Ireland he let it be known that he had taken a 6am dip in Loch Erne.
在自然水域游泳，只要注意安全，你可以盡情享受那份清涼和水帶給你的靈感，對你的身心都有益。正如首相卡梅倫形容自己對自然水域的熱愛——上月在北愛召開八國集團首腦會議時，他早上六點就在厄恩湖裏暢遊了。

Membership of the Outdoor Swimming Society has grown considerably since it was founded by Rew in 2006. Included on its website is a comprehensive interactive map highlighting the many outdoor places in Britain where it is possible to swim with practical information contributed by those who have tested them out.
英國戶外游泳協會從2006年成立以來在不斷壯大，在戶外游泳協會的官網上，可以查詢到有關安全自然水域的綜合地圖，這些都是經過測試的安全水域。

"Of course there are risks, but life is a risk-filled activity," said Rew."You can't keep people out of the water when it is hot and with water temperatures in many places currently at between 16 and 20 degrees, this is an ideal time to explore outdoor swimming."If you do want to explore, start off by finding an inland beach on a lake or a river pool where water runs to shallow, find somewhere safe and family-friendly.
“自然水域游泳雖然有一定危險性，然而我們的人生就是這樣一個充滿危險的環境。”“在英國，很多地方的水溫已經達到16——20度時，這是享受自然水域的絕佳溫度，你不能阻止大家下水的熱情。”

"Have a look at our wild swimming map and see where people recommend. Give it a go: even if you find it a bit bracing, you might enjoy it."
“到我們的網站上搜索一下，看看那一片水域是大家一致推薦的，去游泳吧，雖然水可能有點涼，但是你會喜歡的。”