Andre

It always amazes me anew how stupid people can be when it comes to their personal safety and that of others who have to rescue them.

However, there were those who couldn't resist to swim to the rafts. That may not be a difficult task at normal sea, it proved too hard for many today. Several people never made it there and had to be pulled out of the water deeply exhausted while others made it to the raft but then remained stranded there.

This photo above was taken at Shek O beach which had some nice 2-3m waves. Some guys actually managed to stand up on their surfboards. Others enjoyed catching the breaking waves and get flushed to the beach back and forth. So far, so good. No harm done, nobody in trouble and everyone was happy. If there wouldn't have been the rescue syrens every 5 minutes.

Hong Kong people have a history of putting their own life in danger because they don't know anymore when the danger starts and that they might not get rescued on their first call. The Hong Kong government goes great lengths to keep people safe and while that is applaudable, the down-side is the resulting lack of safety awareness.

• Going for a hike and get lost? Call for help and a rescue unit is on their way.
• Going for a hike and get tired? Call for help and a helicopter picks you up.
• Stuck at the beach's raft? Shout/wave for help and a jetski picks you up.
• Problems during the swim? Not one but several guards come to your rescue.

The list goes on for pages but you should get the picture by now. This over-protectiveness makes people week in danger assessment but strong in rescue expectation.

The majority of those taking ferries regularly don't know how to swim despite the occasional accident. Everytime I have been to the beach, I've both seen others and at least one in our group who doesn't know how to swim (at least properly) but still goes out to the rafts, trusting their life onto a floating device designed for playing in shallow waters.

There is only one suggestion which makes sense in terms of keeping rescue standards high and public education: penalties. With flexible penalties, many rescue missions would become a bad memory of the past.

• Charge all those swimmers who can't swim or depend on floating devices if rescued from such obviously wrong locations like out at the raft; of course don't charge swimmers able to take care of themselves when they get a cramp or so. It's not that difficult to differentiate between swimmers and non-swimmers.
• Charge the full rescue costs for those who went on a hiking trip with the wrong gear. A high-heel lady on a mountain, the sporty guy without a map and compass, and so on. There are basic hiking rules and they should become mandatory.

Watching the development of the local rescue competence and the growing demand for it, it becomes clear that the public thinks more and more about the rescue services as a convenient public service similar to a bus ride versus taking a walk.