It might be stating the obvious, but the sea can be an incredibly dangerous place. The sea angling enthusiast in his bid to go fishing can often overlook those dangers in his excitement, but what could we be doing to keep ourselves safe by the water? Jansen Teakle takes a look at a few safety precautions that will massively help.
First and foremost, the purchase of a tide table should be your top priority. Make understanding the tides your religion. The sea moves around a hell of a lot and if you’re a stranger to the coast, you need to understand how it effects the coast where you are. Most importantly, understand how the tide moves from low water to high water so that you never become cut off or return to find your car that was parked on dry sand now several feet under water.
After the tides, the weather should be a major consideration and will also have an impact on how hostile the sea might be. Strong onshore winds can cause huge waves, but even if there are light winds forecast, the ground swell could make some rock marks lethal. If you’re heading out on to the rocks, check the swell forecast too. The rise and fall of the sea can catch you off guard and even if you’re stationed well above the water, there can be a risk of water flooding your mark. Never take your eyes off the water or turn your back on it. Ideally you should fish such marks with a pal so that one of you is always on the case and in the case of an emergency can raise the alarm. Before you set off, let someone know your location and what time you will likely return home. Remember that you may not have a phone signal, so giving this information ahead of time is important.
Footwear is something that can make the whole experience a lot safer and I wouldn’t entertain the idea of fishing from the rocks without some kind of spikes in my footwear. These will make a massive difference and give you a huge confidence boost. There was a time when some rock marks were out of bounds if rain was forecast, simply because they would become so slippery underfoot. Thankfully those days are gone. I actually believe that spikes or studs in boots are more important than the ankle support that has been preached historically.
Common sense should dictate that your clothing should match the weather, but it never hurts to keep a few spares in the boot of the car. At the very least a pair if socks in the glovebox can be useful to return to. Remember too that a warm and dry angler will fish more efficiently than a cold and wet one.
Life vests are a divisive subject and we really should all be wearing them when fishing marks where there’s a chance of falling in. You could be the best swimmer in the world, but if you bang your head on the way in and knock yourself out, that vest will keep your head above the water until help comes.
As I’ve already said, chances are that you may not have a phone signal when you’re fishing below a cliff or a similar area tucked away from civilisation, but if you are, consider downloading an app such as What 3 Words before you head out. This will enable you to generate three words specific to your exact location that will enable the emergency services to find you faster in a worst case scenario.