Two men in their 20s swept out to sea in Ibaraki Prefecture

Due to the approaching typhoon, waves are high at the beach and swimming has been prohibited.

People tend to disregard these prohibitions as unnecessary or exaggerated, with predictable and unfortunate results as here.

Current surf report giving swells just over two metres.

I wonder if they were on boards or inflatables or simply swimming. Anyway, I hope they're found safe and sound. The helicopter coming up empty handed is concerning.

A Japanese source says they were (phone's translation) "playing with lifejackets near the breakwater," and that wave height was around 3 metres. That's pretty big for around there.

https://www.asahi.com/sp/articles/ASS8C0P8SS8CUJHB004M.html

防波堤付近で浮輪などを使って遊んでいたところ、沖合に流されたという。

Hawk's article quoted above says six of them were playing with, and then uses the words ...'Ukiwa nado', which generally means 'rubber rings etc.'

nandakandamanda

Hawk's article quoted above says six of them were playing with, and then uses the words ...'Ukiwa nado', which generally means 'rubber rings etc.'

Appreciated.

I think Japanese people rely on those things too much, at the expense of learning to swim properly or strongly. If you're not careful, a rip or the undertow will pull you right out.

^Rip or backwash, I should say. Undertow is just that: undertow.

"Due to the approaching typhoon, waves are high at the beach and swimming has been prohibited."

Sigh... we have to read about countless cases like this every summer, and the fact that it's so predictable is tragic. RIP to those lost, and hopefully the other eight friends realize maybe warnings are there for a reason.

Even strong swimmers can easily become endangered in bigger wave scenarios. If the beach is closed for swimming, don't be stupid.

Also, close proximity to piers or breakwaters in high waves and strong currents is asking for serious trouble.

Swimming is very nice and fun, but please, don't underestimate the many different and suddenly occurring dangerous scenarios in pools, lakes, rivers and open sea water. And then in general, never forget that while swimming you have left the human's world and have entered the world of fish, a completely different world from ours, one where you definitely not belong to, so that your stay is always very limited, permanently dangerous and the outcome of your stay there is not at all predictable, not for kids, hobby swimmers and super athletes, just for no one.

Wave energy comes into shore, waves break , and the energy returns to the sea.

Dont get caught.

People tend to disregard these prohibitions as unnecessary or exaggerated, with predictable and unfortunate results as here

Well, yeah, that is what is reported.

Well, yeah, that is what is reported.

Where in the article it is reported that people tend to do that instead of only this specific case?

Rex...unaccustomed as I am to defend Mr. Z , he may be asserting a general principle that people dont regard warnings with proper heed.

Rex...unaccustomed as I am to defend Mr. Z , he may be asserting a general principle that people dont regard warnings with proper heed.

That would be my comment, his comment was that this general principle was included in the article when that is obviously not the case.