Water Safety (1960)

C/U a hand picking up pebbles on a beach; M/S of two young boys on the beach at Worthing, West Sussex, throwing pebbles into the sea. One of them looks shocked for a moment and laughs; C/U of a diver surfacing in the water who clutches his head and shakes his fist at the boys who run off (the old Italian-style cinema on Worthing sea front is clearly seen).



M/S of a man and girl getting into diving gear on the beach (Worthing pier and ballroom seen behind); another man sticks a large red flag with a white cross on it on the beach, next to one of the groynes; the diving man tests his equipment. Commentator tells us this is part of a demonstration "organised by the local home safety committee to illustrate the new Water Safety Code introduced by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents". The man walks into the sea taking a safety rope with him; the girl follows wearing a snorkel and carrying a rubber ring; they both wear flippers and deflated life jackets. They both start to swim; the man dives, coming up to wave to the flag man that he is all right; flag man waves back.



C/U of a boy preparing a harpoon for firing; he fires it at one of the groynes, then walks over to pull it out and examines the end. Commentator talks of the danger of harpoon guns and says "Point: always unload before leaving the water".



M/S of two boys in swimming trunks (it's too cold! Everyone else is fully clothed!) by a boating lake; one is sitting in a rowing boat while the other prepares to launch it, tying the oars to the boat so they don't drift away. Pedaloes are seen lined up along the lake with bored looking boys sitting in some of them. The two boys row out onto the lake while a line of middle-aged women sit watching on the side in deck chairs (and coats); one has a small boy on her lap. One of the boys rows and accidentally flings an oar away, pulls it back in by the attached string and carries on rowing.



M/Ss of a speed boat driving along at high speed; the wake of the boat causes a small sailing dinghy to capsize; a man and a boy fall into the water, turn the boat right way up and get back into it as the speed boat disappears into the distance.



Note: There is a news article ('Danger By The Sea!') on file, plus a small booklet of the 'Water Safety Code' and two small posters.
FILM ID:111.05

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