10 Facts That Prove The Sea To Be Pretty Terrifying

Respect it, as it certainly won't respect you...

Summer! Sunshine! Sunburn! What a time to be alive...

Yep, it's the British Summer. Six whole days of only partially interrupted sunshine. But as we rush to the beaches this year, it's important to remember that we're, by and large, not a seafaring people. We truly underestimate water at our peril.

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The numbers are staggering. In 2014 alone, RNLI lifeboat crews rescued 8,727 people – an average of 24 per day.

Most impressively, they saved 460 lives over the course of last year – people who wouldn't have survived had the RNLI not been there.

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Slippery rocks, unstable ground, unexpectedly large waves – any of these could catch you out. All it takes is one misstep.

3. Many drown just a few metres from safety.

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Fancy yourself as a strong swimmer? Well, it kind of doesn't matter. Cold water shock can paralyse even the most confident of swimmers.

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It's easy to impress your friends with your lung capacity down the local lido. But even on a warm day, cold water can shock the air right out of your lungs before you've had a chance to surface.

Don't believe us? Then why not try our breathe test and see how long you can last.

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It's more difficult than it looks, and that's without the freezing cold temperatures!

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So trust us, it's really not about fitness or ability. A sudden change in temperature can shut your body straight down before you've had a chance to blink, as blood moves to your vital organs to keep you alive. This numbs your limbs to the point of redundancy.

6. A popular beach doesn't necessarily make for a safe beach either.

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Stormy winter weather can affect the topography of a beach by the time summer rolls around, bringing new rip currents to patches of land that were previously placid, even at popular tourist hotspots.

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Rip currents can form in any large area of open water, and what may be safe one day, could be fatal the next. That's why you should never go swimming in an area that isn't supervised by a lifeguard.

In the last eight years, nearly 17,000 people have been rescued from rip currents on beaches in the UK alone.

8. These currents have been known to reach speeds of over 6.5kph.

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To put that into context, the average human swims at about 1.5kph. Even the professionals can't match that speed in a tranquil swimming pool; the current freestyle record for the 400m only barely exceeds the speed of a rip current.

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Essentially, trying to fight against the rip current's force is nigh on impossible and is actually the worst thing you can do. Should you find yourself caught in one, conserve energy, call for help, and try to swim parallel to the shore until free of the current.

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The hot weather especially sends the public flocking to the seemingly inviting water, but even on warm days, the temperature will often be much lower than what you'd expect. The average water temperature in the UK is 12°C, and cold water shock can set in at any time below 15°C.

The RNLI has been saving lives at sea since 1824. But no matter how good they are, every year there are still over 200 people who lose their lives in British and Irish waters.

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Make it a summer to remember for the right reasons and #RespectTheWater.