How to stay safe swimming outdoors - and still have fun

How to stay safe swimming outdoors - and still have funImage source, Getty ImagesByGrace DeanPublished20 June 2026When temperatures rise, outdoor swimming can be a fun and often free day out - but it is not without risk. During last month's hot weather, at least 18 people died after getting into difficulty in the water, many of them teenagers.Across the UK, 202 people died in accidental water-related incidents in 2025, according to the National Water Safety Forum, external.Water safety experts gave BBC News some simple tips for how to stay safe when swimming in open water.Choose a spot with a lifeguardImage source, Getty ImagesThe advice from the experts BBC News spoke to was resounding: the best place to swim is somewhere supervised. You can find a list of UK beaches with lifeguards on the RNLI website, external.Steve Hall has been volunteering with lifeboat rescue charity Hornsea Rescue in East Yorkshire for nine years. He has attended countless call-outs for people in difficulty in the sea - and says many risks are avoidable with a few simple precautions.For example, Halls says he and his daughters - who are aged nine and 11 and strong swimmers - prefer to stick to lifeguarded beaches or designated wild swimming areas rather than swimming in rivers and reservoirs. Swim England keeps a list, external of open water swimming locations.Many inland bodies of water can also have hidden dangers."It's really difficult to know what's going on beneath the surface," says Becky Hickman, CEO of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents. There could be fast-flowing currents, sharp rocks, debris, sudden drop-offs, or even heavy machinery in reservoirs or canals.Watch videos of rip currentsImage source, Getty ImagesEven if the weather is good, you need to look out for rip currents if you're swimming in the sea, Hall says.A rip current can quickly pull you away from shore, he says, "and it doesn't need to pull you very far, it just...