The Canary Emergency Service through its social media campaign “When you need it, the SUC acts” continues to warn of the main summer risks and, on this occasion, its professionals are addressing young people who perform pirouettes and jumps from docks or cliffs, as hitting the sea can cause pain, bruises, dislocations, sprains, and even fractures.
Jumps such as the “Backflip”, “Sideflip” or “Frontflip” (back, side, or forward somersaults); “Fontana” (backwards with one leg bent); the “Barani” (forward jump with a 180º rotation); the “Botijo” or the “Piloto”, which consist of jumping stretched out and bending before hitting the water, or many others that involve running and specific turns or poses, can be very dangerous if some preventive measures are not taken and for those who are not in good physical shape.
Healthcare professionals insist that the main risk is hitting the bottom due to lack of depth or the edge of the dock due to a slip, so they advise checking the tides and the depth before jumping, as the risk and severity of diving injuries depend on the height from which one jumps. The higher the height and speed when entering the water, the harder and stronger the impact. In addition, one should ask those who know the area about whether the bottom is sand or rocks and make sure no one is underneath before diving into the water.
In case of injury, the SUC advises not to move the injured person and, while waiting for the most appropriate emergency resources for the type of incident, the person next to them should check if they are conscious and breathing, as well as monitor other warning signs indicated by the SUC coordinator by phone from the emergency room.
In this way, the SUC concludes its summer advice campaign to know how to act in an emergency and avoid accidents or dangerous situations, which should not be forgotten and which it is advisable to continue putting into practice in the coming months, as long as the good weather lasts in the islands.
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