Saftey Before Anything!

This week the on-going debate regarding life guards on cruise ships has been revived once again, when last week a 6 year old child was found unconscious in one of the pools on board RCCL Independence of the sea.

The drama unfolded when another child alerted holiday makers who were quick to respond to a 6 year old who was found at the bottom of the family pool , lucky for the family both were medically trained and started recovery in time before the on board response team arrived to take over. The 6 year old in now said to be recovering in a hospital in Brest France. There is no doubt that on this occasion the quick reflexes of the 2 passengers first to his aid saved this boys life, but who is to say this story may have had a very different ending had they been made to wait for the on board team.

In a statement, Royal Caribbean spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez said that the boy was rescued from the swimming pool of the ship, which was currently on a seven-night cruise from Southampton to Spain. Although the boy was initially treated by the ship’s medical team, he required additional attention, she said. “Therefore, the ship altered its course and sailed towards land in order to meet a rescue helicopter.”

Is this enough? Had the regulation for Life guard support on cruise line vessels been stronger, could this incident been avoided before the situation got this bad?

As it stands Disney cruise Line are the only major cruise company who has constant Life guard posted at all their family swimming pools  after another near fatal accident on board Disney Fantasy last year.

These incidents are happening far to often. We began this year with tragedy on board NCL breakaway, when a 4 year old child died and a 6 year old child was airlifted to hospital during the same incident. How many more children or passengers will be hurt before these regulations are changed.

With cruise ships getting bigger and better every year, on of the main focus’s seems to be the water sports area with flumes, slides and other activities taking the spot light. However with all these change and without life guard supervision are the warning signs enough.

*Always swim with a buddy, do not allow anyone to swim alone.

*Never leave a young child unattended near water and do not trust a child’s life to another child; teach children to always ask permission to go near water.

*Have young children or inexperienced swimmers wear life jackets around water, but do not rely on life jackets alone.

*Always stay within arm’s reach of young children and avoid distractions when supervising children around water.

*If a child is missing, check the water first. Seconds count in preventing death or disability.

As far as this debate goes, my views on this matter will stand that, a wage for a qualified life guard not just at family pools but all pools on board is a small price to pay for passenger safety. But also that families travelling with children need to be more vigilant when cruising, as you would do when at the beach or holiday resort. I would say it is even more important on cruise holidays as you never know how far you are from a the nearest port and hospital.

If you would like more details regarding on board safety or to discuss this further please feel free to contact me on 0800 408 6160  or email me at [email protected].