New research offers hope of reducing the number of drowning accidents worldwide after the latest safety guidelines have been put to the test.

A team from the University of Portsmouth’s Extreme Environments Laboratory (EEL) has confirmed that the Royal National Lifeboat Institution’s (RNLI) ‘Float to Live’ message helps inexperienced people survive in realistic open water conditions.

Participants in two studies successfully applied the techniques in a variety of water scenarios, including standing and flowing freshwater, seawater, and even while clothed, simulating real-life accidental falls into water.

Professor Mike Tipton MBE, co-founder of the University’s EEL, said: “Simple, actionable advice can significantly improve the chances of survival for inexperienced swimmers and experienced swimmers who are overwhelmed by the conditions. By improving swimming skills and confidence, we can also better prepare people for unexpected water incursions.”

In Study 1, a total of 25 participants completed four floats in still open water (fresh or sea water). In Study 2, 23 participants completed three floats in an indoor swimming trough.

The volunteers had no experience in handling the water and only 32% were confident in their ability to float on the water before participating.

The team assessed the impact of RNLI advice on competence, confidence and rafting difficulty and then compared it with rafting without instruction.

The results showed that participants’ ability to float, even in less controlled and more challenging open waters such as lakes and seas, improved significantly by following the Float to Live instructions.

The study was published in BMC Public Healthalso found that personal coaching further improved floating skills. Simple tips such as “Tilt your head back and keep your ears underwater,” “Relax and move your hands gently,” and “It’s OK if your legs sink” were particularly helpful.

Dr Clare Eglin from the Extreme Environments Laboratory said: “We found that both practice and coaching improved swimming ability, but the majority of participants said they preferred to receive coaching first as it increased their confidence more quickly. This is an important finding as not everyone can afford or is willing to have face-to-face coaching and the swimming skills practiced in a pool are transferable to open water.”

Worldwide, an estimated 236,000 people drown each year (World Health Organization, 2023). In the UK, around 400 people drown accidentally each year, meaning one person dies every 20 hours. Around half of these people never intended to go into the water.

About 60% of people who die from immersion in cold water do so within the first few minutes due to cold shock. The risk is further increased if the person is thrashing about or trying to swim at this time.

As a result, the RNLI, in collaboration with the University of Portsmouth, developed the water safety message ‘Float To Live’. Drawing on EEL’s research, the campaign has successfully increased public understanding of the importance of swimming as a primary survival behaviour in water emergencies and has been replicated internationally.

The charity has already begun incorporating the results of the new study into its campaign, adding new images and instructions to make the message even more effective.

Gareth Morrison, RNLI’s Head of Water Safety, said: “We are delighted that this new study has confirmed that our ‘Float to Live’ message helps inexperienced people survive in realistic open water conditions. Our collaboration with the University of Portsmouth was crucial in finding the most effective way to deliver the advice and we are delighted that it has been so successful. We know that following this simple advice can make a life-saving difference.”