Safe Water Sports Initiative Teaches Responsible Recreation

A new initiative that informs people of safety regulations in water sports and water recreation and provides a channel of communication and evaluation of such facilities aims to ensure that Greek waters are both fun and safe.

Under the name “Safe Water Sports”, the social initiative works together with the private and public sectors in order to strengthen the existing safety policies and regulations in Greece, and ensure compliance with safety regulations by professionals and businesses working in the water recreation industry.

Through this website, users can also assess and rate businesses offering water sports and related activities, thus leading to the improvement of the quality of services and compliance with safety standards.

Safe Water Sports came in response to a 2014 accident on Mykonos, that led to the death of a 10-year-old child. Daunting figures, heightened the need: every year, 50,000 Europeans are injured during water sports or boating activities with drowning the second leading cause of injury or death. According to Safe Water Sports, most often injuries are not caused by faulty equipment or dangerous conditions, but by inappropriate user behaviour.