New research reveals drowning risk increases during Australian heatwaves, especially severe heatwaves. Here’s who is most at risk and what we can all do to stay safe.
Tears prevent your eyes from drying out and protect them from irritation and infection.
Vizerskaya/E+ via Getty Images
An ophthalmologist explains how important tears are to keeping your eyes feeling good and working well – whether you’re on dry land or swimming in a body of water.
A rip current flows straight out to sea.
Rob Brander
Rip currents are one of the great dangers of Australian beaches. We can learn a lot about avoiding and escaping this natural hazard by asking survivors what being caught in a rip is really like.
The Seine will be used for Olympic events in 2024 and remain open for public swimming, ending a century-long ban. It’s part of a global movement to make city rivers healthy and swimmable again.
The gap between breaking waves in North Carolina indicates a rip current flowing away from shore.
National Weather Service
Rip currents are a leading cause of near-shore drownings, but there are effective ways to survive one. And these phenomena also play important ecological roles that are an emerging research area.
The tiny organisms that cause harmful blooms of algae can have a big impact on your trip to the shore. A toxicologist explains what causes these events and how to keep people and pets safe.
When a loved one is struggling in the water, you might want to rush in to save them. But make sure you stop and think or you could become the one in trouble.
Neanderthals living in Italy swam confidently and In early Egyptian, Greek and Roman images people are shown swimming overarm. But today, only one in four people in low income countries can swim.
With concern mounting over microplastics and the search for sustainable options, the woollen swimsuits of the past could be the swimwear of the future.
Both children and adults are susceptible to the ear infection known as “swimmer’s ear.”
Kay Blaschke/Stock4B-RF via Getty Images
Perhaps surprisingly, it’s possible to get swimmer’s ear without a dip in the pool, lake or ocean. Two doctors explain what this painful infection is and how to get rid of it.