We have some suggestions to help you stay safe:
- Check forecast and weather conditions before you go
- Make sure you let someone know where you are going to fish
- Make sure you know exactly where you are - consider something like an OS locate app for a smart phone or a map
- Give them an idea of when you are likely to return
- Take a fully charged mobile phone and check signal strength, know how to use it and who to call in an emergency
- Double check your fishing spot. Is it safe? For example, riverbanks can erode and just because it was safe one day doesn’t mean it still is
- Always dress appropriately, sturdy footwear, sun hat in hot weather, warm layers in cold
- Coastal and sea fishing is particularly high risk
- Make sure you know your spot is safe and you won’t get cut off by the tide
- Expert evidence suggests that many of these lives would have been saved if the casualty had been wearing a life-jacket
