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Deadly carelessness on Bavaria's lakes: more and more stand-up paddlers have accidents

2022-08-31T03:17:17.291Z


Deadly carelessness on Bavaria's lakes: more and more stand-up paddlers have accidents Created: 08/31/2022, 05:05 By: Cornelia Schramm A 16-year-old drowned in Lake Ammer at the weekend. She couldn't swim but rode a stand up paddle board. The DLRG warns: The boards are not swimming aids. Eching am Ammersee – Just get on your board, dip the long paddle into the water – and off you go. Stand-up


Deadly carelessness on Bavaria's lakes: more and more stand-up paddlers have accidents

Created: 08/31/2022, 05:05

By: Cornelia Schramm

A 16-year-old drowned in Lake Ammer at the weekend.

She couldn't swim but rode a stand up paddle board.

The DLRG warns: The boards are not swimming aids.

Eching am Ammersee – Just get on your board, dip the long paddle into the water – and off you go.

Stand-up paddling has been the trend sport on Upper Bavarian lakes for several years.

Everyone can swing onto the board and don't even get wet - at least that's how it seems when the SUPs float over the water.

But the sport also harbors dangers.

"We are observing that the number of accidents involving stand-up paddleboards has increased in recent years," says Michael Förster, spokesman for the Bavarian state association of the German Life Saving Society.

"Since the SUPs are now even offered in discount stores, there is probably a connection." That means: Many people, especially young adults, go with the trend sports equipment, which can also be bought on the Internet for less than 200 euros carelessly around.

You don't complete a course, you don't get any professional instruction.


Swimming accident at Lake Ammer: SUP driver from Sierra Leone cannot swim and dies

"It's like inflatable swimming animals for children.

SUPs convey a false sense of security - they are completely unsuitable for non-swimmers," says Förster.

A misconception that cost the life of a 16-year-old at the weekend in Eching am Ammersee (Starnberg district).

"There is no doubt that the accident was tragic," says Michael Graf, spokesman for the police headquarters in Upper Bavaria North.

By the way: everything from the region is also available in our regular Starnberg newsletter.

The girl and her younger sister were paddling around on the lake on Friday and fell in the water - and both couldn't swim.

Another SUP driver helped immediately, but the 16-year-old never showed up again.

A large contingent of divers searched for them for two days.

As reported, her body was discovered in the water on Sunday afternoon.

This is the third swimming accident at Lake Ammersee in which a person died this year, the police said.

In 2018, a female SUP driver died in Wörthsee.

The parents followed the accident and their daughter's search from the shore.

"The family comes from Sierra Leone," says Graf.

They can't swim - like many people from West Africa.

The girls were in the water with a private board.

The DLRG also appeals to SUP rental companies to ask whether their customers are good swimmers.


A stand-up paddler on the Ammersee.

© LakoPress/Imago

SUP drama: More and more stand-up paddlers without security on Bavaria's lakes

"In addition to many people with a migration background, there are generally more and more young people and adults who cannot swim," says Förster.

"With the SUP, life jackets and safety lines should also be given out." The girls didn't have either of these with them.

“We also recommend both for good swimmers.

The body heats up quickly on the board in the sun, which can lead to circulatory problems,” says Förster.

Anyone who staggers and falls lands in relatively ice-cold water and, in the worst case, can lose consciousness.

"The vest stays afloat.

In the event of an accident, rescuers can find you more easily and the board doesn't drift when you're on a leash.”


Before you get on a board for the first time, Walter Schöfbeck from the Bavarian Canoe Association, which is also responsible for a SUP department, considers a beginner's course with a club to be advisable.

"Even for little money, I can rent or buy a SUP," he says.

"But many are irresponsible on the go." For years, the association has therefore been campaigning for SUPs that are sold over the counter to be accompanied by a booklet of rules.

"It's not just about safety, it's also about the environment.

Many drive unknowingly through sensitive shore areas, disturbing fish and nesting birds.”

You can find more current news from the district of Starnberg at Merkur.de/Starnberg.

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2022-08-31

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