Junior high school boy drowns in Tama River in Tokyo

Every year this kind of tragedy happens even when it is relatively easy to prevent. Having adults with the children (and having those adults responsibly keep an eye on them) is the minimum necessary to avoid having children deaths like in this case. Condolences for the family and for the friends of the victim that more than likely will have to consult with mental health professionals as well.

When we were children we would go swimming in the sea, rivers, and lakes without any supervision but we stayed clear of most of the dangerous locations.

A sad and tragic event for his family.

I was swimming today in a river with some high school boys. They had a few inner tubes but I could see immediately that some couldn’t swim. Even though the water was low there were areas with strong currents where the boys were panicking. I helped a few of them and gave a bit of instruction and after a few hours they were doing much better.

Whenever we are in the water we should always be watching others. Even experienced swimmers can find themselves in trouble unexpectedly. Hopefully accidents this summer can be kept to a minimum.

How are kids to become proficient swimmers in Japan when the pools and beaches are open for a maximum of 6 weeks of the year?

It could be 35 degrees where I live and no pool or beach within a 100km radius opens until early July and closes August 25th?

A fast running river isn't safe to swim in by anyone, even expert swimmers. When rescuers have to go into a river like this, they where helmets and flotation gear and are tied off to shore.

Definitely tragic.

Parents, get your kids into competitive swimming for a few years - age 8-10. Summer and winter. If they get bored, after age 10, let them quit. The swimming knowledge will be theirs for the rest of their lives.

Kids will go exploring on their own and challenge themselves and others. This is part of growing up. Parents can't always be around, especially for JrHigh aged kids. Hovering parents are just as bad.

rzadigi is correct. ANYONE can die from drowning. We were taught to always swim with a buddy, even at pools. Don't expect the lifeguard to notice everything. Kids like to play games holding their breath and sitting on the bottom of the pool. Your buddy will notice problems before any lifeguard does.

RIP

5:30am on a Sunday morning for teenage boys by the river makes me think it was likely an all-nighter and the boy perhaps went off when others were not looking in particular.

Maybe drinking involved?

Discovered at 7:30am downstream.

When we were children we would go swimming in the sea, rivers, and lakes without any supervision but we stayed clear of most of the dangerous locations.

Never could no wrong.

Good for you!

Out swimming at 5:30 in the morning. It’s barely daylight at that time…wow…

Something not quite right about this story. 5:30 am swimming?

Children the world over go swimming without any adult supervision.

Children the world over go swimming without any adult supervision

And tragedies such as this also happen around the world. Adult supervision is a relatively simple safety measure that can prevent a lot of accidents even if only by making the children behave in a less risky way, and of course having an adult present when things go wrong is a huge advantage.

virusrex

Children the world over go swimming without any adult supervision

And tragedies such as this also happen around the world. Adult supervision is a relatively simple safety measure that can prevent a lot of accidents even if only by making the children behave in a less risky way, and of course having an adult present when things go wrong is a huge advantage.

And many adults also drown. A dear friend died in India from a rip tide. There are many places where the parents need to work and adult supervision of children is not easy to do.

Teaching children to swim from an early age and teaching them about the dangers of water and swimming.

And tragedies such as this also happen around the world.

To claim that only children drown and that adults never drown flies in the face of statistics.

And many adults also drown.

Which in no way denies that having an adult supervising children can prevent deaths even just by its presence. Which is why this is the basic recommendation for safety in most places, even pools adequate for children

https://www.swimonfoundation.org/adultsupervision

The point is not that having an adult automatically means 100% safety, but that it increases by an important degree the safety and eliminates some of the risks.

There are many places where the parents need to work and adult supervision of children is not easy to do.*

And therefore children should not be allowed to swim in those situation, teaching children to swim in no way replaces having adult supervision, fortunately the best approach is always to do both, since they are not mutually exclusive.

To claim that only children drown and that adults never drown flies in the face of statistics.

That would not be a problem since nobody has made that claim, this misrepresentation is so obviously wrong nobody could misunderstand the text you quoted in this way.

Which in no way denies that having an adult supervising children can prevent deaths even just by its presence. Which is why this is the basic recommendation for safety in most places, even pools adequate for children

Denying adults drown and assuming that an adult being present prevents children from drowning fly in the face of reality.