To mark World Drowning Prevention Day today, Water Safety Ireland, the Coast Guard and the RNLI are calling on people to “do one thing or improve one thing” to help prevent drowning.

The Department of Transport have announced that participation in a whide variety of year round water based activities has increased recently, especially in smaller leisure craft, such as kayaks, canoes and stand up paddle boards.

The call to action asks for people to use well maintained equipment, a means of calling for help, as well as properly fitted life jackets or flotation devices on every trip.

They say that at this time of year many people will take their first summer dip and are not acclimatized to the dangers presented by open water, such as hidden depths and hazards, entanglement, and dangerous currents.

Water users are being advised to be alert to local warning signs and never assume that the absence of a sign indicates a lack of danger.

Last summer, Lifeguards rescued 583 people nationwide and provided first aid 6,500 times.

For more information and to find out what you can do for World Drowning Prevention Day, visit www.worlddrowningpreventionday.ie