Water Safety

Rivers, lochs and reservoirs look beautiful but they can be very dangerous. You can find out more about water safety in this section.

Summer safety

When it is warm, some people are tempted to go in for a swim.

You should never paddle or swim in a loch or reservoir because:

• the water is very cold
• the water is very deep
• you could also get sucked into underwater pipes
• or get tangled up in tree roots or underwater plants
• there may also be strong currents under the water that you can't see but can pull you under

Winter safety

When it's really cold, some lochs and reservoirs freeze round the edges. It may look like the ice is thick enough to walk or skate on, but this is often not true.

Never play on frozen lochs and reservoirs no matter how safe they look because:

• the ice can be very thin and break
• the water is very cold
• the water is very deep
• you could get trapped beneath the ice